The polarizing nature of Pat McAfee extends beyond the sports realm. While the former All-Pro punter is adored by many pro wrestling fans as the lead color commentator on WWE Raw, he also faces criticism. This was evident in the voting for this year’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, where McAfee ranked second behind Booker T for “worst television announcer.”
On an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, publisher and editor Dave Meltzer discussed the awards with co-host Bryan Alvarez, who seemed to agree with the voters. However, Meltzer held a different view—“I actually like Pat McAfee. I can see why some don’t. He’s enthusiastic and professional. I hate to use this term: he is so far above this, that the fact that he actually does it just shows how much he loves pro wrestling. He’s making a lot of money, doesn’t need to do this, and has family obligations. He does it because he truly enjoys it. If you love wrestling, that’s why I really like him.”
Meltzer elaborated on McAfee’s evident passion for pro wrestling, despite the challenges he faces in keeping up with all the angles due to his commitments. “I can tell watching him, this guy loves wrestling. Sometimes he’s not in on all the angles, especially after the college football season when he has to focus on that sport. He can’t live and breathe pro wrestling, but he’s still genuinely enthusiastic. I like the guy.” He concluded with, “To me, Booker T’s the obvious winner here,” a statement that finds little disagreement.
Regarding Meltzer’s original point, McAfee’s pro wrestling career serves more as a passion project; his five-year deal to lease The Pat McAfee Show to ESPN alone is worth $85 million. When you include other roles like College GameDay and his smooth transition from an NFL career to success in sports media (along with a budding Hollywood career), it’s clear he doesn’t need whatever WWE pays him for calling Raw each week; he just loves pro wrestling.
Thus, it’s easy to see why he took offense at winning a Wrestling Observer Newsletter award in 2022 for “worst match” due to his WrestleMania 38 confrontation with Vince McMahon. While that award was justified—thanks mainly to McMahon—the labeling of McAfee as “worst television announcer” this year is far more debatable, echoing the sentiments expressed by Meltzer.
