Pat McAfee Opens Up About WWE Hiatus: “I Hit a Wall”
World-Today-News.com – Popular podcaster and media personality Pat McAfee has shed light on his recent absence from the WWE announce desk, revealing that he experienced significant mental exhaustion. McAfee, who last appeared on the June 9th edition of Raw, detailed the demanding schedule that led to his break on his widely-listened-to show.
McAfee admitted to “hitting a wall” and feeling “real tired” due to a relentless schedule that began with a trip to Dublin, Ireland, in August 2024. This was followed by commitments with his CONCACAF soccer club on the East Coast, a trip to Parris Island, South Carolina, and culminating in a journey to Los Angeles for the Money in the Bank event.
“I could just feel it,” McAfee explained. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, my brain is not operating right now.’ I had talked to others that had maybe experienced mental exhaustion before whenever they have had it. I’ve talked to them and I’ve been like, ‘I’m staring down what you went through there’. I knew this moment was coming. I knew it was going to happen at some point and it happens to people.”
he credited WWE head Nick Khan for facilitating his transition out of his WWE commitments. McAfee emphasized his dedication to his WWE role, stating he was “trying his best the entire time” and “trying to put everybody over” on WWE TV, a sentiment he felt was not always recognized by wrestling fans.
The decision to step away from Monday Night Raw, which McAfee noted removed two flights and a two-hour sleep deficit from his weekly schedule, proved beneficial. “I feel like a human again,” he stated, highlighting the importance of taking a step back when feeling overwhelmed.
McAfee expressed confidence in his ability to take a break, recognizing that the WWE product continues to move forward. He attributed this confidence to his “hard work ethic and travel mindset,” which allowed him to “not feel absolutely f**king terrible for having to take a step back as I’m tired.”
Looking ahead, McAfee’s return to WWE is unlikely in the immediate future, as his focus will shift to ESPN’s college football coverage beginning in late August. “I will always love the WWE and I miss it, but I didn’t think I would have made it,” he confessed. “I was eyeing football season around the corner and I was, like, ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to survive this thing.'”
