It has been several weeks since WWE commentator Pat McAfee has been present for Monday Night RAW on Netflix broadcasts. He is usually paired with Michael Cole, who has had Wade Barrett and NXT's Corey Graves fill in for the former NFL punter.

On the June 23, 2025, edition of the Pat McAfee Show, the host explained why he has been absent from his WWE duties. That episode aired before RAW that night, and McAfee revealed he would not be commentating that night.

“I will not be commentating,” McAfee revealed. “[I'm] continuing to catch up to life as a whole. Post-Money in the Bank, pre-Night of Champions feels like a good time.

“I was getting pretty exhausted there. Shoutout to everybody in WWE looking out for me, too. Very, very thankful,” McAfee continued.

Why is Pat McAfee away from WWE, and when will he return?

It sounds like McAfee has been burnt out with all of his responsibilities. It is nice that WWE is accommodating, given how grueling their schedule is.

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He did mention Night of Champions, which is WWE's next PLE. The PLE is set to take place on Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is unclear if McAfee intends to commentate that show or not.

Fans are likely hoping he comes back sooner rather than later. McAfee traditionally takes off in the fall due to his responsibilities with ESPN during college football season. So, that means he only has a finite number of dates left to work before his leave.

At the very least, McAfee will hopefully be back in time for SummerSlam. WWE is holding the first-ever two-night SummerSlam PLE at MetLife Stadium in August 2025. They will likely want all of their big names to participate in the event.

McAfee has been one of WWE's top color commentators since 2021. His involvement with the company started as an in-ring performer. He famously feuded with Adam Cole in NXT.

He then began as Friday Night SmackDown's color commentator in April 2021. In January 2025, he was moved to RAW as part of their Netflix broadcast crew.