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What Pat McAfee Said About Wrestling Future After WWE WrestleMania 42

By John Canton • Published Apr 20, 2026 14:12 EDT
Pat McAfee WWE SD
Pat McAfee WWE SD - Photo by WWE via Getty Images

Pat McAfee is moving on from the wrestling business.

When Pat McAfee was introduced into the Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton story leading into WWE WrestleMania 42, it was met with anger by many fans who didn’t think McAfee was needed as Orton’s heel ally heading into the WWE Championship match.

Going into the WrestleMania match, McAfee made the statement that if Orton failed to beat Rhodes for the WWE Title, then McAfee would leave WWE forever.

During the WrestleMania match, Pat McAfee was attacked by Rhodes and also the singer Jelly Roll, who splashed McAfee through the commentary table. Later in the match, McAfee walked out to the ringside in a neck brace after the referee was bumped. After Orton hit Cody with an RKO, McAfee countered the pin, and Cody kicked out. Orton was frustrated, so he hit an RKO on McAfee. That allowed Cody to get back up and hit Cross Rhodes on Orton, and the original referee, Charles Robinson, counted the pin to give Cody the win as he retained the title.

After the match, Orton attacked Rhodes with the WWE Title and also a running Punt to the head. The Rhodes-Orton feud is continuing, but not with McAfee involved.

On the day after WrestleMania Saturday, Pat McAfee’s wife, Samantha, confirmed that Pat was out of the wrestling business.

“First morning since 2017 babe is completely out of the wrestling business, thanks Jelly Roll.”

“I Finished My Story” – Pat McAfee

On the April 20th edition of his YouTube/ESPN sports show, Pat McAfee confirmed he was no longer part of WWE and also out of the wrestling business.

“For me, I finished my story. I came up in the indies—IWA East Coast. I went through developmental in NXT. I was a wrestler, trained by Rip Rogers. NXT—I commentated, then got to WWE and commentated. Did pre-shows, wrestled, refereed, managed—lucky to do all that.”

“It’s been a hell of a run. Thank you, wrestling. It turns out, Cody Rhodes—the American Nightmare—still has the throne. That guy’s the real deal.”

Considering McAfee hosts a sports show from Monday to Friday all year long and is part of ESPN’s College Gameday covering college football in the fall, he had cut way back on his WWE duties in the last two years anyway.

“The wrestling business is now in the rearview mirror. To the wrestling business, I’d like to say—thank you so much.”

While anything can change in the wrestling business at any time, it appears as though the story that McAfee would leave WWE if Orton lost is something that McAfee is sticking to, at least for now.

It seems WWE realized the McAfee inclusion in the Rhodes-Orton story wasn’t needed, which is why they pulled the plug on the former NFL punter’s role.

Following WrestleMania, there were reports that Randy Orton would win the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42, but those plans obviously changed. Since the Rhodes-Orton feud is likely going to lead to another match down the road, it’s possible that Orton wins the WWE Title at a future event, without McAfee involved.