WWE News: Top Star May Have Been ‘Fired’ By Company On Christmas Day
Earlier this week, a number of outlets reported that Pat McAfee had been removed from WWE television until further notice. While this led to some speculation that he was simply taking a break from the promotion on his own accord, the NXT star crushed those rumors via Twitter on Saturday, suggesting that the decision was management’s idea.
After learning about the rumors over the weekend, McAfee took to social media and confirmed that he thinks he “got fired on Christmas.” While it’s possible that he was goofing around to tease fans, his in-ring future remains up in the air as of this writing. It’s also possible that it’s all part of a storyline.
Ringside News pointed out that the situation has caught the attention of main roster stars. Following the news of his alleged dismissal, Mace of RETRIBUTION offered him a spot in the upstart faction. The group is known for inviting lots of people to join, however, so fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for seeing McAfee on Monday Night Raw soon.
As reported by The Sportster, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer originally revealed that officials had decided to stop featuring the former NFL player on NXT’s weekly television show for the time being. Meltzer noted that he’d probably be back on screens in the spring of next year.
However, the news was surprising considering that McAfee has established himself as the voice of one of the black-and-gold brand’s main heel groups in recent times. Despite being a newcomer to the squared circle, McAfee has quickly cemented himself as one of the brand’s top stars.
His microphone work and wrestling ability, in particular, have received praise across the wrestling industry. As The Sportster article highlighted, even CM Punk was impressed by his efforts. “The Straight Edge Superstar” also went as far as to describe McAfee as the best talker in the entire company and encouraged the other roster members to step up their game to reach his level.
It’s worth noting that McAfee isn’t a full-time wrestler yet, so he could just be focusing on other ventures for now. The ex-Indianapolis Colts punter is a popular sports analyst with his own podcast, and he performs shows as a stand-up comedian.
McAfee made his in-ring debut in 2019, taking on Adam Cole in a singles match, which stemmed from an expletive-filled rant during an interview between the pair. His last bout was at the recent NXT Takeover: WarGames event, in which he made headlines after performing a senton bomb off the top of a cage.
