WWE Star To Miss Monday Night Raw
A big name in WWE will miss Monday Night Raw due to another commitment on the same night.
The WWE Monday Night Raw debut on Netflix in Los Angeles was one of the biggest nights for the company featuring big names like The Rock, John Cena, and CM Punk beating Seth Rollins in the main event.
That episode of Raw also featured the return of the new commentary team consisting of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee. That duo has been together on SmackDown in the past and also on Raw. It’s expected to be the main Raw commentary team moving forward.
While Cole and McAfee will be together long-term, McAfee is expected to miss Raw on January 20th in Dallas. That’s because McAfee has ESPN duties for the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
A press release from ESPN confirmed that McAfee will be at the college football finals instead of Raw.
Returning in 2025, the fan favorite Field Pass will lead the MegaCast offerings from this year’s National Championship on ESPN2. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will offer entertaining, free-flowing commentary of the CFP National Championship Game, anchored by Pat McAfee, who will roam the sidelines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
McAfee will call the action from the unique vantage point, joined by AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs, as well as a rotation of ESPN analysts, notable personalities, and celebrities throughout the game.
Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show delivered the largest audience for any ESPN alternate telecast on record with 2.4 million viewers from the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential.
Corey Graves References Pat McAfee’s Fame In Rant Against WWE Commentary
From September to December 2024, McAfee was off WWE commentary due to his college football duties on ESPN on Saturdays. While McAfee was gone, Cole was on SmackDown with Corey Graves while Joe Tessitore was on Raw with Wade Barrett. Since Cole and McAfee are now on Raw, Tessitore and Barrett are on SmackDown to start 2025.
In a now-deleted rant on Twitter/X, Corey Graves took a shot at WWE’s decision to remove him from SmackDown commentary while claiming he wasn’t famous enough compared to McAfee and Tessitore, who has been calling sports on ESPN for decades.
Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you’re no longer physically able to pursue your dream. Then you dedicate your life to something “dream adjacent” and being pretty f*cking awesome at it.
And then, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you’re not famous enough for your own job. Just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve been.
The comments from Graves were his true feelings and not a storyline, but in WWE, it could certainly turn into a storyline in the future.
It has yet to be announced who will replace McAfee on the January 20th episode of Raw. It has been rumored that it could be WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield, who has been an announcer in the past and is advertised for that episode of Raw in Dallas.