Pat McAfee puts WWE fans’ worst fears to bed with wrestling retirement revelation

It does appear Pat McAfee is retired from WWE after saying he would be if Randy Orton lost to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, as the ESPN talent revealed.

He recently answered questions on his Instagram Stories (via Wrestling News) and was asked if a WWE return was “in the cards in the next year.” He jokingly addressed Orton’s loss to Rhodes, which resulted in him having to retire, but seriously answered the question at the end.

Pat McAfee says he will never be see on WWE TV ever again. pic.twitter.com/Ya11QDWD38

— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) August 19, 2026

“If Randy would’ve won, maybe, but I made a promise that I will never, ever be seen on WWE television ever again. And Cody Rhodes won. He is the one. What a dog he turned out to be. Maybe he was the right one all along. Maybe I was wrong with what I was saying.

“But no, wrestling fans can sleep soundly understanding that I will never be back over there,” the former color commentator added.

Why Pat McAfee was forced to retire from WWE

Earlier in the year, McAfee made his long-awaited return to WWE. However, it wasn’t as a color commentator, but rather as Orton’s manager.

He returned and turned heel, aligning himself with Orton ahead of his WrestleMania 42 match against Rhodes. He revealed himself as the caller on the other end of the phone of the “Viper’s” recent calls.

Fans and critics did not like the move. In turn, McAfee stipulated that if Orton lost at WrestleMania, he would permanently retire from professional wrestling. So far, about four months later, he has kept good on that promise.

He tried to help the “Viper” beat the “American Nightmare.” McAfee interfered early in the match, but country singer Jelly Roll took him out. A couple of days later, he confirmed that he left WWE. This ended an eight-year tenure with the company. He served as a color commentator, manager, and competed in several matches.

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