WWE Raw Faces Commentary Shake-Up as Pat McAfee Steps Away for College Football

DALLAS, Texas — WWE Raw will see a last-minute commentary shake-up next week as Pat McAfee steps away from his role to cover the College Football Playoff National Championship for ESPN. McAfee, who returned to WWE programming last month, will miss the Jan. 20 episode of Raw in Dallas due to his commitments in Atlanta, where he will provide live coverage of the championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Under normal circumstances, Corey Graves would step in as McAfee’s replacement. However, Graves’ status with WWE remains uncertain after he expressed dissatisfaction on social media regarding his recent move from Raw to NXT. Graves was notably absent from this week’s NXT episode and was replaced on commentary for WWE Speed, fueling speculation about his future with the company.

With Graves’ availability in question, WWE Hall of Famer JBL emerged as a potential replacement for McAfee. JBL, who has extensive experience as a commentator for both Raw and SmackDown, is scheduled to appear on Monday’s episode. However, during the Jan. 17 episode of SmackDown, color commentator Wade Barrett confirmed he will also be at Raw, making him the likely fill-in for McAfee.

McAfee’s dual role as a WWE commentator and ESPN analyst is not new. The former NFL punter has previously balanced his WWE commitments with his work on ESPN’s College GameDay. His return to WWE last month coincided with the debut of Raw on Netflix, where he has been a key part of the commentary team.

Monday’s episode of Raw promises to be eventful, featuring a renewed rivalry between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, a match involving The New Day, and the return of JBL. The College Football Championship game, meanwhile, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 20, overlapping with Raw’s broadcast.

WWE has yet to officially announce McAfee’s replacement for the Jan. 20 episode. Wrestling Inc. has reached out to the company for clarification but has not received a response as of publication.