Pat McAfee Says The Wrestling Business Is In The Rearview Mirror After WrestleMania 42

Pat McAfee may have just officially closed the door on his wrestling career — and this time, it’s coming straight from him.

After the chaos of WrestleMania 42 and speculation fueled by his wife’s Instagram post, McAfee addressed his future directly on The Pat McAfee Show on April 20, 2026 — and his message sounded like a clear goodbye to wrestling. McAfee looked back on his entire journey in the business, from his early days to everything he accomplished in WWE, making it clear he sees his run as complete.

“For me, I finished my story. I came up in the indies—IWA East Coast. I went through developmental in NXT. I was a wrestler, trained by Rip Rogers. NXT—I commentated, then got to WWE and commentated. Did pre-shows, wrestled, refereed, managed—lucky to do all that.”

The way McAfee laid it out, this wasn’t frustration talking after a brutal WrestleMania night — it sounded like closure after checking every box he wanted in the industry. He also took a moment to acknowledge Cody Rhodes, tying the end of his story to the bigger picture at the top of WWE right now.

“It’s been a hell of a run. Thank you, wrestling. It turns out, Cody Rhodes—the American Nightmare—still has the throne. That guy’s the real deal.”

Then came the line that makes his stance impossible to ignore — McAfee didn’t frame this as a break or a pause. He closed things out with a direct message to the industry that helped define this chapter of his career.

“The wrestling business is now in the rearview mirror. To the wrestling business, I’d like to say—thank you so much.”

Between the damage he took at WrestleMania 42 — including being put through a table, stretchered out, and hit with an RKO by Randy Orton — and now his own words, this doesn’t read like storyline fallout anymore. This reads like the end.

Do you think Pat McAfee is really done with wrestling, or does something about this feel like it could still lead to a comeback down the line? Let me know your thoughts.

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