Pat McAfee is officially set to make his return to WWE programming. The announcement was made by Paul “Triple H” Levesque on ESPN’s SportsCenter, confirming McAfee will be part of the inaugural Wrestlepalooza premium live event on September 20th.
The event, which will be held in McAfee’s hometown of Indianapolis, will be his first WWE appearance since he stepped away from the commentary desk in June. McAfee cited burnout from his demanding schedule, which includes hosting the daily Pat McAfee Show and his role on College GameDay, as the reason for his hiatus. During his absence, Corey Graves joined Michael Cole on commentary.
While his break was short, his return is slated for a significant stage. Wrestlepalooza marks the first WWE Premium Live Event to be featured on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, a major step in the partnership between the two companies. Highlighting the hometown connection, Levesque stated, “September 20th, Wrestlepalooza, in the home of the one and the only Pat McAfee, who’s like family to us. Pat will be there, he’s gonna light the place up.”
McAfee’s specific role at the show has not yet been detailed. It remains unconfirmed whether this will be a special one-night appearance or if he will be resuming his full-time commentary duties.