Pat McAfee was the guest this week on Rich Eisen’s new podcast Just Getting Started and shared his experience working with WWE, including his first time calling matches with Vince McMahon in his ear.
The former NFL player turned Internet podcaster and football specialist is now the colour commentator of SmackDown. Retiring in 2017 would have prevented it from his first steps in the ring, “I main-evented a WWE pay-per-view (NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020) and that is just outrageous because it was in the middle of football season. It was just an opportunity that if I don’t do, I got to be the dumbest human of all time.”
"Like an actual Voice of God."@PatMcAfeeShow is relishing his new role with @WWE #SmackDown and you won't believe who's in his ear during the broadcast.
That story and so much more makes this episode of “Just Getting Started."
Listen/subscribe: https://t.co/AuDQUlabpR pic.twitter.com/uat8P7JUnv
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 29, 2021
If the WWE seems like a natural fit for McAfee, and a natural extension for what he has already been doing, dovetailing into his audience like on the WWE audience who may want to listen to his shows and podcasts, Mc Afee is still pinching himself being on FOX every Friday nights. “It’s insane, I’m sitting next to Michael Cole. I’ve got Vince McMahon dropping into my ear via a headset like an actual voice of God. When you’re a commentator with the WWE since it’s Vince McMahon’s company and Vince McMahon used to be a commentator and he’s still hands-on with everything, if something changes with the show or something, he’ll come in and say to the commentators who were telling the story.”
He continued, “There’s a real job into commentating it. Michael Cole is unbelievable at what he does because he has to direct and call and everything like that. This past Friday night, Smackdown was my first time with Vince McMahon in the building and, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, just boom, the Voice of Gods in there. I sat up and I’m like ‘oh my god, here we go.” I get a chance to hear a billionaire’s brain spill through his mouth into my ear while talking about the product that he created and that has become a global phenomenon. It was just one of those moments where I’m like this is the dumbest life of all time, I should not be here but let’s enjoy the ride while we have it.”
Just Getting Started is Eisen’s first step into the world of personal fulfilment podcasting where he interviews the biggest names from news, entertainment, sports, and pop culture, discussing their career origins and mining their stories on how they got started in a format where audiences can be inspired by their endeavours. New episodes of Just Getting Started drop each Friday and are available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Pandora, among other platforms.
Very Special Thanks to Sean Grabin – All pics and videos courtesy of WWE