After returning to the commentary booth and even the wrestling ring at the 2024 Royal Rumble, Pat McAfee made another appearance on the fallout edition of RAW live from Tampa Bay, only this time it wasn't as a special guess.

Celebrating his presence on the show by high-fiving the front row fans as his music played, McAfee joined Michael Cole at the commentary booth and sat down in the chair typically reserved for Wade Barrett, where he was subsequently announced as the new permanent color commentator for the Red Brand.

“We've got some breaking news as we kick off Monday Night RAW,” Michael Cole told the crowd. “Pat, I promised you we'd have one more run together, and it's going to happen: Pat and I will be the new commentary team here on Monday Night RAW every week going forward.”

“I can't wait,” Pat McAfee added. “I'm excited to sit next to the GOAT one last time at least, and let's enjoy this ride, baby, Monday Night RAW!”

Will this pairing work? Well, that depends on what you want to see from the RAW's color commentator, as McAfee is far less knowledgeable about the business than the man he's replacing and has already had multiple flubs on the mic in his first hour back on the job. Still, his chemistry with Cole is undeniable, and his energy is infectious, which can take one far in a “fake it till you make it” sort of way.

Michael Cole has been pushing for Pat McAfee's return since he left.

Speaking of Michael Cole promising to have another run with Pat McAfee in the booth, the long-time WWE commentator stopped by The Pat McAfee Show to discuss how much longer he wants to stay on the road after being arguably the most consistent member of the WWE Universe for longer than some fans have been alive.

“I'm gonna have to stop, or else I'm… I'm gonna be married 30 years, so if I want it to last longer than that, I'm probably gonna have to stop at some point. But no, it won't be any time soon. I still got a lot of work to do with this company. There's still a lot of stuff to do, still a lot of shows to call. I just told somebody that I'm 56 now, so 60 sounds like a pretty good age to maybe slow down a little bit. Maybe,” Michael Cole told Pat McAfee via Fightful.

“I'm about 20 years older than you, I've been on the road nonstop for 26 years. I mean, 52 weeks, every week on an airplane, away from home, away from seeing the kids grow. I've got a couple grandkids now that I want to spend some time with as they get older. Your priorities change as you get older. I know a lot of people have said this to you, but your life is gonna change drastically in a couple of weeks. Those little ones come, and they really change a lot of perspective in your life. I raised two heats sons, and I was really happy with the way they turned out, but in retrospect, I wish I had spent a little bit more time at home with them, so now the fact that I have some grandkids, I want to be able to spend some time with them, bring them out to the ranch, have a good time with them. I want to be able to do that. I think now, at this point in my life, with everything that I've accomplished, it's a little bit easier, seeing the end of the road, as it might have been when I was in my mid-30s enjoying life. It's just a different perspective on everything.”

While it's understandable that Cole would want to chill out a bit and take things easy as he approaches retirement age, he did make a promise to McAfee that they would go it again together one last time before he leaves the full-time announcing game behind for good.

“Pat, I'll make a promise to you,” Michael Cole said. “I won't get out of this full-time until you and I can have at least have a little bit of a run left. Now, if you're gonna push that off until I'm 75, we're gonna have to re-talk.”

Well, Cole, it looks like you've got your wish, as McAfee is now a member of the WWE Universe full-time – if you can count on working one day a week full-time – and you'll both be calling RAW for at least part of its final few months on network television for the foreseeable future. Sometimes, dreams really do come true.