When WWE Raw moves to Netflix in a few weeks, a familiar voice will rejoin the show’s broadcast booth.
Speaking at a WWE-to-Netflix panel earlier this week, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealed that the show’s broadcast team will feature Pat McAfee and Michael Cole when it makes it official debut on the streamer on Jan. 6. Per USA Today, Levesque said that McAfee will be “back with us here full time.”
Taking to X on Wednesday night, McAfee confirmed the news.
“An absolute honor to be asked back.. A. Childhood dream realized every single time I’m lucky enough to be in an arena with the @WWE Universe,” McAfee wrote. “Can’t wait to be talking into a microphone next to @MichaelCole again.. He’s the [goat].
“I’m excited to tell the worldwide audience on Netflix how great the WWE Superstars are…. and how big of scumbags some of ‘em are too. Let’s go.”
This will mark McAfee’s third stint as a WWE broadcaster, the first of which came as a commentator on WWE SmackDown in 2021. After taking a hiatus from the company ahead of the 2022 football season, he made a surprise return as a full-time commentator on Raw this past January before taking another break for football season in August.
While McAfee might be a polarizing presence in the sports media space, he’s become an undeniable fan favorite in WWE thanks to his enthusiasm for the product and chemistry with Cole. Don’t, however, expect to hear any cursing from McAfee on WWE airwaves — at least not intentionally — as Raw will remain TV-PG despite no longer facing the constraints of traditional television when it moves to Netflix.
With McAfee and Cole returning to Raw, it remains unclear what will happen to the show’s current announce team of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett. It is worth noting, however, that there is now a vacancy in the broadcast booth on SmackDown, which Cole currently calls alongside Corey Graves.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.