Pat McAfee Responds To Early Criticism From His First Day As New WWE Raw Commentator

Pat McAfee is back.

Full-time.

As noted, McAfee returned on this week’s post-Royal Rumble episode of Monday Night Raw as the new color commentator for the weekly three-hour red brand show, alongside Michael Cole.

During the latest installment of The Pat McAfee Show, the WWE personality spoke about his new permanent role as Raw commentator, as well as some criticism he has already received following his first show.

Featured below are some of the highlights from the show where he touches on these topics with his thoughts.

On his return to WWE and new role of color commentary on Monday Night Raw alongside Michael Cole: “I hopped back in the booth last night for Monday Night Raw and on Saturday for Royal Rumble. Haven’t done it in like a year or so. I’m gonna have to relearn the beats and the flow and what’s happening.”

On GUNTHER: “Lot of slapping last night with Gunther. Those shots, you feel them. It’s like, ‘Who the hell…?’ I’m not taking one of those. He has [had the title for a long time]. Longest of all time.”

On criticism of him talking during promo segments: “I saw some wrestling marks who…I too, mark by the way, that is not a shot. Wrestling fans, I will say, because that term has been slanderized and everything like that, I saw them say a couple times, ‘Is this guy gonna talk through everybody’s promos?’ It’s hard for me not to go, ‘Ooh,’ when somebody says something. There were some good words spoken last night. There was tears in the ring last night. It was awesome being back. I gotta figure it out though, again. It’s such a different flow and beat than anything else. [I had] a blast. I had so much fun out there. There was a couple times I looked at Michael Cole, and I’m like, ‘What is happening?’ It’s coming back, like, ‘Oh yeah, oh yeah.’ They have picture-in-picture now, so getting into picture-in-picture, out of picture-in-picture. Obviously, new people in the headphones, it was fun, man. I’m loving it. It was an honor to be back there. Thank you to everybody for the hospitality, and let’s go. Let’s have a good time with this entire run. I’m pumped about it.”

Check out the complete episode of the show via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.