6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (13 May - Results & Review)

DOWNS…

4. Putting Himself Over

There’s no denying that Pat McAfee has a large following with his show on ESPN, but does that built-in audience justify his presence as Raw color commentator?

McAfee could most generously be described as an acquired taste, but probably more accurately called grating and attention-grabbing. From the announce desk Monday, Pat stooged on Michael Cole to Drew McIntyre, playing the role of the heel commentator. He then spent the next three hours yelling indiscriminately, sometimes backing the heels, other times supporting the babyfaces, but always drawing attention to himself.

He barked for Bron Breakker over top of Cole. He danced on the desk for Jey Uso’s entrance per usual. He declared how much he hated Chad Gable and begged Otis to do a Caterpillar.

For some, McAfee might be considered a breath of fresh air, bringing a high-energy style to the program. But he also very clearly can be seen as distracting and obnoxious with little value added.

The one question that’s tough to dismiss is whether he’s putting himself first and foremost with his antics, rather than the product itself. It’s been a few months since returning to the desk, and he’s still grating to many, but it’s also fair to note that Jerry Lawler wasn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.