Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: college gameday, espn, football, pat mcafee, Smackdown, wrestling, wwe

Pat McAfee Puts Smackdown on Hold to Join ESPN College GameDay

Pat McAfee's run as Smackdown commentator is done for now, at least until the end of the football season. McAfee has been hired to join the cast of ESPN's College GameDay, and since that show airs on Saturdays, McAfee will not be able to commentate on Smackdown for the time being. However, McAfee stressed that he's still a part of the WWE family and will continue to do things with WWE.

McAfee discussed the move on the Pat McAfee show, and relayed the story of how he came to commentate on the famous episode of Smackdown where WWE's talent was held up in Saudi Arabia. "I had to talk to the WWE first and see what their thoughts were. I was thinking about maybe doing both. How do I go about doing it? I did it one time when Smackdown was in Buffalo and there was a plane that was stuck in the Middle East and they weren't able to get back, so Triple H actually called me, who's in charge of creative now, Triple H called me and was like, 'Hey, can you get to Buffalo to do Smackdown because we don't have anybody basically?' And I had College GameDay the next morning in Memphis. So ([ndianapolis Colts owner] Jim Irsay — this is no joke, on my life — Jim Irsay gave me his f**king jet to fly to Buffalo, then to GameDay in Memphis the next morning. I was on like two hours of sleep, but it was accomplishable."

"So the original thought from me was I could do Smackdown and GameDay," McAfee continued. "I could do it. The folks at the WWE, who I have nothing but love, respect, and appreciation for, I'm talking old regime, new regime, whoever you think is in charge over there, I have nothing but great feelings towards. So I reach out to them, I chit chat with them. They actually are the ones who said, 'hey man, if you're gonna do GameDay, which is a great opportunity, congratulations, we're actually, you know, I think WWE has been a part of GameDay a few different times, we love the show, you cannot be traveling overnight for the entirety of the season. It's not good for your health. It's not good for your family. It's not good for anything. Whenever the time is right, we will have you definitely be back in our family.'"

McAfee laid out his schedule for the coming months: "So Smackdown will be on hold for a little but, me commentating, while I do College GameDay. I'm still very much in the WWE family and as one OG in the WWE said to me in a message that was very heartfelt, 'hey now one of our guys is on College GameDay. So I'm still very much a part of the WWE family, will still very much be doing things, but for the good of college football and for the good of the opportunity that's in front of me right now, I'll be focusing on College GameDays on Saturdays, this show Monday through Fridays, then Sunday I'll be attempting to watch all NFL games, and then this will be the greatest NFL season of all time."

"I'm very grateful," he added. "I'm very thankful. It only happens because of all you motherfuckers that watch and follow along. I'm very very thankful and to all the boys, all your hard work, anything that I get to do is literally a reflection of fucking everything that you guys have accomplished. So I appreciate everybody."

It won't just be the Smackdown commentary booth that needs to change. McAfee also has to abandon plans to grow his hair out.

"It's a huge day," McAfee said. "I got a haircut for TV. I was gonna grow that thing out. I was gonna grow that thing out because in WWE you wear headphones, so I could put a little poof and just take it back and nobody would know that I'm growing my hair out, but with GameDay, that shit's gonna get nasty. Got my hair cut this morning from the back porch barber and I can't wait for Austin, Texas this Saturday."

So who will take over for Pat McAfee, this coming Friday, and permanently? We'll let you know when we know more.

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