Confirmed! Major WWE Star Is GONE Following WrestleMania 42
It has officially been confirmed that a major WWE star is gone from professional wrestling following WrestleMania 42. The star in question is none other than Pat McAfee.
McAfee’s journey with the Stamford-based promotion started in March 2018 when he was present at an NXT show in Indianapolis, where he helped Aleister Black defeat Adam Cole. Shortly after, he joined the company as a pre-show analyst for NXT TakeOver events, where he continued his feud with Cole.
A few years later, he began serving as a color commentator alongside Michael Cole on SmackDown and then later on Raw. In recent years, he has had several matches against top stars like Gunther, The Miz, Adam Cole, Baron Corbin, Vince McMahon, and Austin Theory.
He took a hiatus from pro wrestling last year due to mental exhaustion. However, he returned as Randy Orton’s mystery ally on the April 3, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown, where he helped Orton assault the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes ahead of their main event championship match at WrestleMania 42.
The following week on SmackDown, McAfee declared that if Orton were to lose at WrestleMania 42, he would leave the professional wrestling business for good.
At WrestleMania 42, Randy Orton failed to defeat Cody Rhodes and win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Despite having outside help from McAfee, Orton came up short. As a result, the former NFL punter was forced to walk away from the wrestling business.
WWE Star Pat McAfee Has Officially Quit The Wrestling Business
On Sunday morning, following Saturday’s main event, McAfee’s wife, Samantha, logged onto Instagram to reveal that Pat McAfee has officially left the wrestling business. She also thanked Jelly Roll for helping her husband step away.
Jelly Roll was the one who attacked McAfee, putting him through an announce table on Saturday, which helped Cody Rhodes retain his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.
“First morning since 2017 babe is completely out of the wrestling business, thanks Jelly Roll,” Samantha wrote.
Pat McAfee’s wife Samantha stated on IG that Pat is out of wrestling now
“First morning since 2017 babe is completely out of the wrestling business, thanks Jelly Roll” pic.twitter.com/nvBmQPgB1Z
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) April 19, 2026
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