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Pat McAfee has conquered the NFL, sports broadcasting, podcasting, the WWE, and now he has his sights set on the music industry.
McAfee is a man of many trades in 2026. He's the host of a very successful podcast and ESPN show called The Pat McAfee Show, which reaches millions of viewers each week and is a mainstream outlet for guests and commentary. Prior to his run as a podcast host, McAfee was a punter in the NFL.
McAfee made waves in the pro wrestling world when he became a guest WWE commentator. From there, he worked a couple of matches in NXT and eventually became the lead WWE color commentator on the SmackDown brand.
Throughout his time in WWE, McAfee has worked a handful of main roster matches. McAfee wrestled Austin Theory and Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38, while in 2025, he wrestled Gunther at WWE Backlash.
This year, McAfee caught the ire of wrestling fans for his involvement in the Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton feud for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 . McAfee managed Orton for the match and worked as a heel who ran down Rhodes' version of WWE. He got physically involved in the match at WrestleMania, but was not a factor in the finish due to fan backlash.
Pat McAfee set for debut album release
McAfee will try to take over the music industry. On Wednesday morning, McAfee revealed that his debut album will be released next month.
"For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts," McAfee wrote on X. "I’ve been writing songs about it for 20 years and it’s time to let them out. A lot of headlines and narratives. If I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who their dad is."
The album is titled The Diary of a Polarizing Figure and will drop for fans on August 14.
Since the fan backlash ahead of WrestleMania 42 and his involvement with Randy Orton, McAfee has not been seen on WWE programming. He is reportedly taking a break from the WWE world. This comes on the heels of a long hiatus from commentary that led up to his eventual return earlier this year.
McAfee has ties to WWE outside of just being a talent. He's represented by the agency run by Ari Emanuel, the CEO of TKO Group, which owns WWE. Emanuel has reportedly stated he views McAfee as a top Hollywood star like Sylvester Stallone.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/wrestling as Pat McAfee Announces Release Date for Debut Album.
