Pat McAfee Confirms He Is Done With WWE

Submitted by Matt Boone on

Pat McAfee says his pro wrestling run has reached its final chapter.

At least for now.

Following WWE WrestleMania 42, McAfee is standing by a bold pre-show promise he made: if Randy Orton failed to defeat Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, he would walk away from the wrestling business entirely.

With Rhodes retaining on the biggest stage, McAfee now claims he’s making good on that stipulation.
Speaking on his ESPN show, McAfee gave credit where it’s due while admitting his earlier stance may not have aged well.

“The good news is, the business doesn’t need to be saved after all," McAfee said. "And good for them. And for me, I finished my story.”

McAfee went on to reflect on his unconventional path through the industry, touching on the many roles he’s filled along the way, from the independent scene to WWE’s biggest stages

“I came up in the indies, IWA East Coast," he said. "I went through development, NXT. I was a wrestler, trained by Rip Rogers, the same guy that trained everybody that’s retiring kind of currently, out of OVW.”

“Get to WWE, commentated, lucky to do that. Did pre-shows, lucky to do that. Wrestled, lucky to do that. Reffed, lucky to do that. Managed, lucky to do that. It’s been a hell of a run. Thank you, wrestling. It was an honor to be over there.”

McAfee has also been selling the physical aftermath of WrestleMania, appearing publicly in a neck brace after taking a table spot courtesy of Jelly Roll during the Rhodes vs. Orton match.

The angle didn’t stop there.

Post-Mania footage showed McAfee still in character, celebrating alongside Tyrese Haliburton at a 50 Cent concert, continuing to play up the injury coming out of the event.

He also addressed the moment that saw Orton turn on him mid-match and hit him with an RKO.
“Maybe he didn’t know it was me,” McAfee said about the RKO. “[But] it felt like he knew.”

For now, McAfee is treating this as a full-circle conclusion to his time in the wrestling business, even if history suggests the door is never truly closed.

“The wrestling business just kind of — rearview mirror,” McAfee said. “And to the wrestling business, I’d like to say: thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.”