Former WWE champion set to fill in for Pat McAfee on Raw amidst ongoing Corey Graves drama
The WWE Universe will get to witness retired professional wrestler act as Michael Cole's commentary partner on the next episode of Raw.
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Wade Barrett to replace Pat McAfee on commentary next week on Raw (via WWE)
There has been a lot of controversy regarding the WWE commentary desks in recent weeks. Pat McAfee returning to WWE caused a lot of shakeups, including Corey Graves being demoted to NXT. However, the football analyst is set to miss the next episode of Raw. Thus, it appears that Wade Barrett will be taking his place.
Barrett himself announced that he would be joining the commentary booth next week on Raw. Fans were happy to see this duo make a return, even if for one night only. Meanwhile, others felt that Corey Graves should have been called up for this night. He has expressed a lot of frustration with being removed from the main roster.
It was recently reported that McAfee would miss the next episode of Raw on Netflix, set to emanate from Dallas, Texas, on January 20th. The football analyst will have his hands full with ESPN’s mega-event coverage, particularly for the College Football Playoff National Championship MegaCast on January 20th.
Wade Barrett confirms he will be on this week's WWE Raw show in Dallas following reports that Pat McAfee will miss the show pic.twitter.com/cXBVS916cw
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) January 18, 2025
WWE had also announced that JBL would be making an appearance on this episode of Raw. Many thought that he would be the one joining Michael Cole on the commentary desk as a throwback to days past. After all, the next episode of the red brand even emanates from the former WWE Champion’s home state of Texas.
Will Wade Barrett return to in-ring competition?
Wade Barrett was released from WWE in 2016 and never pursued professional wrestling outside the Stamford-based promotion. Even when he returned to the company in 2020, his role was only limited to that of a commentator or a panelist. As far as one can tell, his decision not to wrestle is personal and not affected by injury. Regardless, there is no doubt that he is still in great shape. He could definitely still go in the ring if he wanted to.
If the former King of the Ring ever does come back to the squared circle, the opponent he is most likely to face is Drew McIntyre. These two superstars have been pretty open about their friendship, which goes back years. Furthermore, WWE has even teased some tension between the two on screen. This feud could definitely be one that blows off at WrestleMania if all parties are willing.
Even with their friendship going back years and them having worked together in WWE, the two superstars have never faced each other. They have been involved in the same multi-man matches, like Elimination Chamber 2011. However, no record of a televised singles match between these two exists. It would be highly exciting to see these two UK superstars go at each other’s throats in a first-time-ever matchup.
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Mokshit Batra
(1351 Articles Published)