WWE color commentator Pat McAfee has been away from Monday Night Raw for several weeks, last appearing on the June 9th episode. While he had yet to speak much on his reasons for stepping away in what was initially believed to be a short absence, McAfee opened up about what's going on with his life:
"I got real tired. I hit a wall. I've been going since Dublin. And they started Raw early and I'm like an energy guy and I don't need a lot of sleep to operate. I got to Money in the Bank in LA and I was on the East Coast for TST and then I went to Paris Island and then I went to LA for Money in the Bank. I could just feel it. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, my brain is not operating right now.’ I had talked to others that had maybe experienced mental exhaustion before whenever they have had it. I’ve talked to them and I’ve been like, ‘I’m staring down what you went through there’. I knew this moment was coming. I knew it was going to happen at some point and it happens to people. So, I talked to people about it happening and what they went through and as Money in the Bank was happening, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is it, I’ve finally hit it.'"
"I never thought it was gonna happen. But you add in, my daughter wanting to be around the Daily Show, the travel. And also, trying my best and I don't think wrestling fans don't think this, the wrestling community doesn't think this. I was trying to put everybody over, like maximum effort, full every time, trying to put people over to the people that are watching. I think with that and the travel and me not getting back to like 2, 3 AM on Monday and that's the beginning of our work week. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I got 12 hours left."
He was asked by his guest how he got out of it and McAfee misinterpreted the question as how he got out of his duties, responding "Nick Khan, man." when the guest clarified that he meant how he got out of that mentality, McAfee responded with:
"I stopped going to Monday Night Raw, so that took away two planes and a two-hour sleep night a week away from the schedule. And it was like, stack a couple of those weeks, I feel like a human again. And also Corey Graves, so good. Wade Barrett, so good. The show moves on, regardless. The ability to not feel absolutely f*cking terrible for having to take a step back because I'm tired. WWE, on the other side, they have such a hard work kinda mindset and travel mindset and they have been doing it for so long. They understand that people get tired. They've been great, and I will always love the WWE and I will miss it but I didn't think I would made it. I was eyeing football season right around the corner and I didn't know if I would be able to survive this thing."
