To start off the WWE Royal Rumble PLE, Pat McAfee made his surprise return to the company by joining Michael Cole and Corey Graves at the announce table to call the show that started with the 30-Man Royal Rumble match.
WWE brought him in last year to be part of SmackDown, and he has been praised for his one-liners and energy during shows. Wade Barrett replaced McAfee while he was gone on SmackDown, and WWE has used Booker T in NXT to replace Barrett.
The Shock
McAfee’s return was kept very close to the vest to prevent the news of his return from leaking out, according to a report by PWinsider. It should be noted that there were rumors on the day of the show that he may be returning.
According to this report, Cole, who has become good friends with McAfee, was legitimately surprised by the return. On the broadcast, Cole said that he had spoken with McAfee that day, but the fellow SmackDown commentator didn’t tell him he was returning.
WWE went as far as keeping those working in production in the dark. Not only were there rumors of him returning, but it was just a matter of time before he was back due to the college football season being over and the belief that he would return once he had finished up his duties with ESPN for the season.
Early Sunday morning, McAfee took to Twitter to deliver a “massive thank you” to the fans who were in attendance at the Royal Rumble.
