Why did Pat McAfee leave midway through WWE Wrestlepalooza? Exploring potential reason

NFL legend Pat McAfee has been a color commentator for WWE for several years. Fans enjoy his unique perspective on storylines and matches. He had been away from the Stamford-based promotion for months before making his much-awaited return at the Wrestlepalooza Premium Live Event. McAfee joined Michael Cole and Wade Barrett on commentary following his comeback.

Surprisingly, McAfee left the show midway after the Women's World Championship match between Stephanie Vaquer and IYO SKY. This led fans to wonder why the 38-year-old didn't call the entire show.

A fan revealed on X that Pat McAfee had a busy day on September 20. He had to host College GameDay first and then fly to Indianapolis for Wrestlepalooza because of his packed schedule. Hence, WWE pulling him from commentary mid-show was seemingly justified.

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That said, the reason presented above is a fan speculation based on facts. McAfee or the Stamford-based promotion has yet to provide an official reason behind the decision, as of this writing.

Pat McAfee reacts to WWE and ESPN's historic deal

Earlier this year, World Wrestling Entertainment announced its new streaming deal with ESPN. Wrestlepalooza was the inaugural premium live event as part of the agreement.

Pat McAfee, who has been part of ESPN for a long time, reacted to the historic deal between the two giants. On his official X/Twitter account, McAfee congratulated both parties and expressed his excitement with the following message:

"Congrats to the @WWE and @espn on getting a historic PLE deal done. Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together. I assume all the mid level, powerless, bum a** suits at ESPN will attempt to muddy this somehow (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous opinions/etc.) but, in the end.. this agreement will outlive the dinosaurs currently guarding desks in Bristol and this deal will be great for ESPN. Cheers to the future."

It will be interesting to see whether Pat McAfee continues to do his job as a color commentator in the Stamford-based promotion or goes on another hiatus.

About the author

Nayan is a WWE News and Features writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. After completing his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Poddar International, he began working as a YouTube script writer. Nayan then transitioned to Pinkvilla as a combat sports writer. He gained valuable experience there before finally coming under the banner of Sportskeeda.

Within 1.5 years, Nayan has written over 1,000 articles, interviewed MFN promotion owners, and conducted a Twitter campaign that gained over 50k retweets and more. He puts fact-checking and mindful journalism above everything by applying a three-check method, where he tries to verify reports from reliable sources and cross-check whether other major publications have covered them.

Looking back at his association with pro wrestling, Nayan recalls being hooked on the sport after watching Shawn Michael vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Since then, the product has been an inseparable part of his life.

Apart from The Heartbreak Kid being Nayan's favorite wrestler for his confidence and charisma, he is also a fan of Brock Lesnar due to The Beast's "work speaks louder than words" attitude.

Nayan can be found performing mixed martial arts and reading true crime in his free time.

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Edited by Pratik Singh