WWE commentator and ESPN host Pat McAfee took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to supply congratulations to each corporations on their landmark deal to bring all WWE premium live events to the sports network giant. He did so, nonetheless, with a little bit of snark for ESPN’s leadership, with whom he’s clashed with before despite “The Pat McAfee Show” airing on ESPN.
“I assume all of the mid level, powerless, bum ass suits at ESPN will try to muddy this one way or the other (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous opinions/etc.) but, ultimately.. this agreement will outlive the dinosaurs currently guarding desks in Bristol and this deal might be great for ESPN,” McAfee posted, ending with a “cheers to the longer term” alongside a “Blues Brothers” GIF.
It was revealed early Wednesday morning that WWE might be moving their PLEs to ESPN, for those in the USA, in 2026, as their contract with Peacock that has existed over the past 4 years ends in March of next yr. Reports indicated the contract is for five years and price $1.6 billion, a 1.6x increase over WWE’s current take care of Peacock.
Congrats to the @WWE and @espn on getting a historic PLE deal done.
Great to see 2 powerhouses of sports and entertainment come together.
I assume all of the mid level, powerless, bum ass suits at ESPN will try to muddy this one way or the other (out of context leaks/ignorant anonymous… pic.twitter.com/vFbjHTtktL
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 6, 2025
As for McAfee’s snarkiness, the commentator, who’s currently on hiatus from his spot on the desk alongside Michael Cole, has had issues with ESPN brass previously. In 2024, McAfee accused a top executive of attempting to “sabotage” his show following controversy over comments made by Aaron Rodgers, a frequent guest on McAfee’s show. McAfee accused Norby Williamson by name of manipulating his show’s rankings. Further leaks and ongoing tensions between McAfee and ESPN leadership were reported by Sports Illustrated in June.