SmackDown star could be set to make his WWE return soon

The SmackDown roster has recently been stacked with top WWE talent, with many stars returning to the blue brand following the regime change. Now, another dearly missed talent and commentator personality, Pat McAfee, could be making a return sometime soon.

McAfee has been out of WWE TV programming since September to focus on a new role on ESPN's Gameday of College Football. The colorful commentator was initially adamant about juggling both his roles in WWE and ESPN but was recommended by the new Head of Creative, Triple H, to take some time off and follow the new venture.

Now that the college football season has ended, the WWE Universe might see McAfee head back to WWE and join the SmackDown commentary table soon enough.

Wade Barrett has been filling in McAfee's spot temporarily since his absence on the blue brand each week. We'll have to wait and see when Pat McAfee returns from his time off in 2023 to enjoy his time being the energetic and harmful commentator.

WWE personality praised Pat McAfee for his work on SmackDown

Fans have quite enjoyed the chaotic pairing of newcomer Pat McAfee and veteran Michael Cole on the SmackDown commentary team. The WWE Universe sensed that Pat McAfee's contagious energy mixed in quite well with Cole's calm and collected voice to create a fresh new voice on commentary.

Michael Cole has recently become less restricted with his words and enthusiasm following the new regime change of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H coming to the forefront in 2022. The wrestling world has been picking up a sense of seeing a new side of Cole with lines being delivered with more passion and was convinced McAfee could be the one to thank for it.

Cole spoke over on The Atlantic and credited Pat McAfee for being the one to reignite his love for the pro wrestling industry getting reinvigorated. He also said commentating at WrestleMania 38 with McAfee by his side was one of his career highlights.

"Pat helped reinvigorate my love for our business. I have been sitting in that chair at ringside for 25 years calling live sports entertainment every single week. I have missed two television shows over that period. As one can imagine, that amount of repetition can become tedious after time. Pat changed all that, and each week became a new adventure and a new chapter in my career. Pat also gave me the confidence to open up and have fun out there. One of my career highlights was calling Pat’s match at WrestleMania. He deserves all his success," said Cole. [H/T: The Athletic]

Do you want to see Pat McAfee back on SmackDown? Sound off in the comments section below.