REPORT: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, members of production team not clued in about Pat McAfee’s WWE return

Per report, 'majority' of the production team in addition to Michael Cole and Corey Graves were not aware of Pat McAfee's return

Photo Courtesy: WWE

Pat McAfee’s return was a legitimate surprise. 

To kick off the 2023 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, Pat McAfee made his return to WWE programming and joined Michael Cole and Corey Graves at the announce desk for the entire show. 

Per a report from PWInsider, McAfee’s return was a ‘legitimate surprise’. The site notes that majority of the production team was unaware of Pat’s arrival and they scrambled to get him a seat and headset. Cole and Graves were not clued in either and were prepared to call the show as a two-man team. 

Before taking on his ESPN College Gameday duties, McAfee was a member of the SmackDown commentary team alongside Michael Cole. 

Wade Barrett was moved from the NXT brand onto SmackDown to fill in for McAfee. 

About Andrew Thompson 7988 Articles
A Washington D.C. native and graduate of Norfolk State University, Andrew Thompson has been covering wrestling since 2017.