Pat McAfee has been MIA from his spot in Raw’s commentary booth since the beginning of June.
On his own show, The Pat McAfee Show, he explained his absence, noting he had stepped away from WWE due to “mental exhaustion” brought on by constant travel – with his role on Raw coming on top of his hugely successful daily podcast and duties as a college football analyst.
While McAfee didn’t rule out a return in the future, he appears to be gone for now.
The question now is: who can replace him full-time?
5. Corey Graves
Since Pat McAfee took leave from the Raw commentary booth, Corey Graves has been the most regular fill-in.
While Graves lacks McAfee’s energy, he’s a polished performer in the WWE house style – and this is a role he knows well, having held it previously before being moved to NXT at the beginning of the year.
Explaining his reasons for stepping away, McAfee gave Graves his seal of approval, noting he was “so good”.
All signs suggest Graves is the most likely full-time replacement.
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4. Wade Barrett
While it seems likely that Corey Graves will succeed Pat McAfee full-time on Raw, SmackDown’s colour commentator Wade Barrett could also be considered for the role.
When discussing his reasons for stepping away, McAfee also went out of his way to praise Barrett’s work.
Like Graves, the British performer is a polished, professional voice in the WWE style, offering a consistent heel perspective on commentary.
Barrett is undoubtedly a strong alternative to replace McAfee on WWE’s flagship show.
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3. Matthew Rehwoldt
Matthew Rehwoldt is the current colour commentator for TNA Wrestling.
He’s not unknown to the WWE audience – as Aiden English, he was part of the popular NXT tag team The Vaudevillains, and perhaps best known as Rusev’s tag team partner during the hugely over “Rusev Day” run, where he would sing him to the ring.
Over the past five years, Rehwoldt has made a transition from the ring to the commentary booth, working first on the defunct 205 Live show and SmackDown before his WWE release in 2020 and since then, he’s gained significant experience with both New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA.
Could we see Rehwoldt make a return to WWE – and potentially take a spot in the booth on Monday nights?
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2. Nigel McGuinness
On the subject of former WWE commentators who could make a successful return to the company, few come to mind more readily than Nigel McGuinness.
After retiring from the ring in 2011, McGuinness gained commentary experience in ROH before joining WWE in 2016, where he commentated for both NXT and NXT UK until being released during the pandemic.
A sharp-witted and articulate colour commentator, with an expansive vocabulary and deep in-ring knowledge, McGuinness has thrived in AEW since joining the booth in 2023 – becoming a regular voice on Saturday nights for Collision and at company PPVs.
Perhaps an unlikely replacement for McAfee given his current AEW contract, but there are few better colour commentators working in pro wrestling today.
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1. Chris Jericho
A legendary in-ring performer, Chris Jericho also has expansive experience in the booth — most recently on AEW’s Friday show Rampage, where he appeared weekly as a regular analyst during the show’s three-and-a-half-year run.
In commentary, he brought his signature wit and a deep understanding of in-ring action, providing an optimal combination of entertainment and insight.
While it would be difficult to replace Pat McAfee’s charisma and star power in the booth, company legend Jericho would be one of the few able to achieve that.
Could we see him return to WWE and take a full-time spot on commentary once he decides to step away from the ring?
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