• Pat McAfee Reveals Why He’s Absent From WWE, Reacts To Fans Saying He’s Not Missed
Pat McAfee has been absent from commentary on RAW as of late, with Corey Graves being his replacement. On The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee explained his absence from WWE TV: “Just taking some time to catch up on life. Between Money In The Bank and Night of Champions feels like the right window. I was starting to feel pretty exhausted. Big shoutout to everyone in WWE for looking out for me. I’m very grateful.”
A lot of fans on social media celebrated his absence and posted that they’re exhausted by his commentary too, and that he’s not missed. Reacting to the negative reaction, McAfee tweeted:
“‘I was getting pretty exhausted.. I produce/host a 5 day a week show, have been on the go every week since Dublin last year before College Football.. plus I run my growing company with 14 employees and have a 2 year old daughter.’
‘YOU’RE NOT EXHAUSTED ENOUGH B*TCH.. NEED YA TO TAKE A DIRT NAP’ ~ The IWC (Internet Wrestling Community)
[laughing emoji]
Thank you all so much.
Excited for the future of my life.”
• Update On Liv Morgan’s Replacement As One Half Of The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
Liv Morgan is out of action after dislocating her shoulder during her match with Kairi Sane on the June 16th episode of RAW. The injury has left her tag team partner, Raquel Rodriguez, without a teammate. However, WWE reportedly has no intention of vacating the Women’s Tag Team Titles. According to PWInsider, the company is considering former NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez as a possible replacement. The report describes her as a “heavy favorite” to step in alongside Rodriguez and carry the titles forward.
Those plans appeared to take shape on the June 23rd episode of RAW, where Perez came to Rodriguez’s aid during an attack by Rhea Ripley. She even helped put Ripley through a table, signaling that Roxanne might be stepping into a larger role. Rodriguez and Ripley are now set to face off in a Street Fight at Night of Champions 2025. Meanwhile, CM Punk gave a heartfelt shoutout to Liv Morgan at Fanatics Fest:
“Shoutout to Liv Morgan who recently got injured, she was like my MVP for the year. I look at people like Liv who probably started right after I left, 2014-ish, and just from the time I’ve been around her and been able to see her work, just the way she’s developed this last year and just broken out of her shell and turned into this little worker, it kinda warms my heart.”
• Another RAW Star Is Injured
Chad Gable may be off WWE television for a while due to an injury. Bodyslam reports that Gable is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, which appears to be serious enough that WWE adjusted its creative plans. The injury is the reason for the angle involving Penta on this week’s episode of RAW.
In a backstage segment, Chad said he’s glad Bron Breakker destroyed Penta. Penta then superkicked Gable and snapped his arm backwards. This beatdown appears to be a cover for Gable’s injury, giving the company a way to either temporarily write him off or reduce his in-ring workload. The injury was serious enough to require a shift in storyline direction. Also, this means we won’t be seeing El Grande Americano in action for a while.
On this week’s RAW, it was also announced that Dominik Mysterio and LA Knight are hurt, but those are most likely storyline injuries.
• Cody Rhodes Reveals How Many Years Are Left Before He Turns Heel
During an interview with Kay Adams, former WWE Champion Cody Rhodes was asked about potentially turning heel. Cody said he’d prefer being a babyface until the end of his career, but he understands that fans can only like you so much and they would want to cheer for somebody else at some point, and that’s when he’d have to change his character. The American Nightmare said he has 1 to 3 years left as a babyface:
“These days, people love ‘cool heels’ like John Cena, but a true heel is someone fans genuinely want off their TV. That’s when you know it’s real. I think I’ve got a solid year, maybe even 3 (years) because I’m not changing unless I’m changed, if that makes sense.
My hair’s naturally dark and I don’t know if I could even go back. If it were up to The Rock, I’d have already made the turn. Maybe he sees something I don’t, he’s a smart guy. So, maybe I follow his lead. Maybe I don’t.”
Cody Rhodes will face Randy Orton in the Final of the King of the Ring tournament this Saturday at Night of Champions.
Also Read: New SmackDown Star Says WWE Nearly Booked Him Against Randy Orton At WrestleMania 41
