As you’ll likely recall, TKO’s plan to inject some excitement into WrestleMania 42 involved bringing former NFL punter, current ESPN personality, and occasional WWE star Pat McAfee off the sidelines to “save wrestling” by dissing the WWE product while managing Randy Orton.
Most WWE and pro wrestling fans rejected the idea as quickly and vehemently as they had The Rock taking Cody Rhodes spot two years earlier. The angle was wrapped up in Las Vegas, followed by McAfee basically apologizing for it in kayfabe
before again indicating that he’s done with pro wrestling.
Well, we may not have wanted McAfee back, but it seems his bosses at ESPN do. His non-WWE work for the Disney-owned sports brand, and his own brand, landed him a spot on Time’s list of “The 100 Most Influential People in Sports” for 2026. Pat is listed as an “Innovator” along with currently-more-popular-with-wrestling-fans fellow WWE part-timer IShowSpeed.
The magazine’s reasons for including McAfee were written up by Sean Gregory:
Pat McAfee, the former Indianapolis Colts punter fond of wearing tank tops on camera, has built an impressive media presence. In 2023, McAfee signed a five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN for the network to license his daily YouTube show. Its unfiltered style—and newsmaking discussions with controversial vaccine-skeptic Aaron Rodgers—gained traction among sports fans. McAfee has earned a seat at the College GameDay table: His kicking contests on the beloved ESPN football pregame program, in which students try to convert a 33-yard field goal on campus for cash prizes, regularly go viral; McAfee has awarded more than $5 million in cash and charitable contributions over the past two seasons. His heel character has also made regular WWE appearances in recent years, exposing his brand to an ever-wider audience, though in April he said he’s stepping away from wrestling. McAfee’s access to sports and entertainment figures should give him a prominent voice for years to come.
Fitting then that The Athletic today (June 9) brings word that McAfee is close to a new ESPN deal that would more than double his annual take home to around $60-65 million per year. The report notes that TKO bosses Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro are handling negotiations for McAfee, and opened with $100 million annually for that man Emanuel reportedly believes is the next Sylvester Stallone.
Are you feeling bad about booing Pat McAfee now, Cagesiders?
