Pat McAfee makes PERMANENT return to WWE! Ex-NFL punter surprises fans to announce he is joining Monday Night Raw commentary team alongside Michael Cole

Pat McAfee is ramping up his already packed schedule of shows by making a shocking return to ringside on WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

After becoming the first person out of Saturday night’s Royal Rumble (where he subsequently provided commentary following his elimination), McAfee made the trip to Tampa, Florida for Monday’s weekly episode of Raw.

McAfee came out with the theme music that is played before his occasional in-ring appearances. But this time he put on the headphones and sat next to longtime commentator Michael Cole.

Cole then explained that McAfee would be part of the full-time broadcast team for Raw.

McAfee previously spent time as a color commentator for WWE’s Friday night show Smackdown.

Just a few days earlier, McAfee participated in the Royal Rumble and provided commentary

McAfee already has a heavy workload – with a daily show and a spot on College GameDay

But McAfee eventually left that role as he focused on his new role at ESPN – with The Pat McAfee Show moving to ‘The Worldwide Leader’ and Pat jumping on the desk for College GameDay.

The Pat McAfee Show airs every weekday and GameDay travels to a new location in the American College Football landscape every Saturday.

So it’s a surprise that McAfee willingly adds another responsibility – one that requires him to travel at least once a week.

McAfee’s addition to the team comes less than a week after WWE agreed to a new rights deal with Netflix starting in 2025.

It is unclear whether McAfee will continue in this role during the college football season, but he has publicly committed to remaining on College GameDay through 2024.