Will Pat McAfee return to WWE at the 2023 Royal Rumble?

Pat McAfee impressed fans and peers alike with his energetic approach to match calls. The former football punter made a name for himself in Triple H’s version of NXT before joining Michael Cole as a color commentator on WWE SmackDown.

Even Vince McMahon was impressed with how McAfee’s WWE run turned out. The 35-year-old took a temporary leave of absence from WWE because he got an offer from ESPN, who wanted him to be an analyst for College GameDay.

That said, Pat McAfee could very well make his WWE return at the upcoming Royal Rumble premium live event. The College GameDay season is coming to an end very soon, freeing the energetic commentator of his ESPN commitments.

The 36th annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event will emanate from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The January 28th PLE will feature multiple matches including the marquee Women and Men’s Royal Rumble.

In addition to the two Royal Rumble matches, the event will feature a "Pitch Black Match" between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight. Also taking place, a singles match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship between defending champion Roman Reigns and challenger Kevin Owens.

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Michael Cole was gutted after Pat McAfee’s WWE hiatus

Michael Cole moved up WWE’s commentary ladder during the Attitude Era. Cole, alongside Taz, became the voice of SmackDown during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Together, they gave fans so many wonderful memories.

Cole found a new broadcast partner in Pat McAfee after the latter received a call to join the blue brand in April 2021. McAfee brought a new type of energy to WWE SmackDown. Cole even admitted that the former punter reinvigorated his passion for calling matches.

While speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Michael Cole stated that he felt he got kicked in the gut when Pat left to be on ESPN’s College GameDay. The voice of SmackDown noted that he was disappointed because of McAfee’s move because they had developed an amazing chemistry on the announcer’s desk:

"I was disappointed, said Cole. "When we had that phone call that night, I was incredibly excited for you because obviously, GameDay is GameDay. But I hung up that night and it was like I got kicked in my gut right? Because we had developed this amazing chemistry."

It remains to be seen if Pat McAfee will return to WWE at the Royal Rumble.