Fans shouldn’t expect to hear Pat McAfee call the action at WWE WrestleMania 39 this weekend.
McAfee’s WWE future has been up in the air after Wade Barrett stated in a recent interview that his role as the SmackDown color commentator, a previous role that McAfee had, was as permanent as one can be in WWE.
Barrett had filled in for McAfee when the former NFL punter joined ESPN’s College Gameday program last fall with the idea that he would return after the football season was over. McAfee returned for a one-off at the Royal Rumble in January.
McAfee recently posted on Twitter that he has massive plans for his journey to the WWE Hall of Fame someday but has also noted that a potential WWE sale may impact his future with the company.
While appearing on The Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast, WWE CEO Nick Khan noted that there are no plans for McAfee at WrestleMania.
“We have no plans to have him there this weekend. The world is his oyster. He’s 36 years old and look at his relevancy factor when you talk to young children. I have two young children, when I talk to them it’s often, ‘McAfee, McAfee, McAfee.’ That’s what’s in the wheelhouse for them. So, if you look at any of the traditional buyers, what do they want? They want a young diverse audience. What does McAfee bring? He brings a young, diverse audience. You notice he doesn’t get political, extreme, either way. He has Aaron Rodgers on, he treats him respectfully, develops that relationship, he becomes the go-to home of Aaron Rodgers. You see that with more athletes and Pat. He’s not looking to annihilate anybody or crucify them, he’s looking to have good content and his content has been terrific. So, he’ll determine, ultimately, where he wants his home to be and our hope is that he does more with us.”
McAfee recently announced that he will return as part of College Gameday next season.
H/T to F4Wonline.com for the transcription
