5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Sept 15)
2. Pat McAfee Back On SmackDown
This was always scoring an 'Up'.
Pat McAfee injected bags of energy into WWE commentary during his stint behind the desk alongside Michael Cole. He brought out the best in Mikey, and he's popular with fans because of that run. It was also just nice to see McAfee back on telly doing his thing and being mean to Austin Theory.
On that; Pat and Theory clearly have some chemistry together, so their little verbal joust worked a treat. It was pretty smart of creative to use McAfee's surprise appearance as a gateway to something even bigger as well. WWE popped the live crowd, then popped them harder just a few short minutes later.
Pat's schedule doesn't really allow for it, but it would be magic to see him get on comms for a match here or there again. Although three-man teams can be tricky, he'd likely work well alongside old partner Cole and Wade Barrett for a few bouts heading through WrestleMania season.
Wishful thinking, perhaps.