WWE Confirms Pat McAfee Return for September Wrestlepalooza Indianapolis

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque has confirmed that Pat McAfee will return to WWE at the inaugural Wrestlepalooza premium live event on September 20, held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, McAfee's hometown. McAfee, who had taken a hiatus from his Monday Night Raw commentary role due to mental and physical exhaustion, has been balancing his work with WWE, ESPN's Pat McAfee Show, and his role on College GameDay. Although his specific role at Wrestlepalooza has not been disclosed, Triple H assured fans that McAfee would "light the place up" and called him like family to WWE. Corey Graves temporarily replaced McAfee on Raw during his absence. Wrestlepalooza will be the first WWE premium live event to air on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service and is headlined by John Cena, with the event marking a key moment in WWE's new partnership with ESPN. McAfee's return highlights the synergy between WWE and ESPN, bridging mainstream sports and sports entertainment.