When Pat McAfee vanished from RAW's commentary desk, Michael Cole was joined on the Monday night show by NXT commentator Corey Graves. Cole has briefly mentioned that McAfee isn't around, but stopped short of revealing why.
Wade Barrett initially filled in for the former NFL player, but Graves has been calling the action ever since. McAfee's latest run included a hard-hitting match with World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in what proved to be a losing effort, and he's now elaborated on his decision to step away from WWE for a time.
"I got real tired, man, I bet I hit a wall," McAfee shared. "I hit one." Describing a sensation of "brain fog," he added, "I talked to others that have maybe experienced like, mental exhaustion before...and like, as Money in the Bank was happening, I was like, 'Oh my god, yeah, this is it.' This is, I finally hit it. And I never thought it was going to happen."
Reflecting on what proved to be a gruelling travel schedule, McAfee noted, "I was trying my best. And I know wrestling fans don’t think this, but like, I was trying to put everybody over, like, maximum effort, full every time."
"I think that with the travel with me not getting back to like two, 3am on Monday takes a toll, and then that’s the beginning of our work week," he explained. "But you add in, like, my daughter, that’s real, wanting daily, wanting to be around the daily."
McAfee credited WWE with understanding his need for time off, making it clear that there's no unhappiness with him from within the company.
"WWE has on the other side, because they have such a hard work, kind of mindset and travel mindset. They understand, like, people get like, 'Hey, yeah, we understand you might need to take a sleep early,'" he explained. "For sure, they’ve been great. And I will always love the WWE, and I miss it."
"Corey Graves, so good. Wade Barrett, so good," McAfee said of the men who filled in for him. "For me at the commentator position, it’s like, the show moves on regardless. So like, the ability to not feel absolutely f***ing terrible for having to take a step back because I’m tired."
With football season also fast approaching, he ultimately knew something had to give. "I didn’t think I would have made it. I was eyeing football season right around the corner. It’s gonna be, I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to survive this thing."
You can hear more from McAfee in the player below.