Pat McAfee Shares Tragic News With Viewers, Explaining WWE Raw Absence

At the top of last night's episode of "WWE Raw," Michael Cole revealed that his normal broadcast colleague Pat McAfee was not present at the show. As such, The Miz temporarily filled in for him behind the commentary desk. Naturally, many fans concluded that McAfee's absence may be part of an ongoing storyline involving the Wyatt Sicks stable. According to McAfee, though, his absence from "Raw" came on the heels of some heartbreaking, real-life familial news.

"... Yesterday was a day that is obviously a day that will be remembered forever in our family because my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly after the [talk] show ended yesterday in a hospital here in Indianapolis, Indiana," McAfee explained on "The Pat McAfee Show." "He had been in the hospital fighting an infection, and on Friday, we were told that he was probably going to be discharged by Sunday. They had figured it out, and he was going to be okay. So we are all in high hopes with incredible optimism, and then yesterday, literally as the show is ending, my wife calls me and says that I have to get to the hospital because there had been an emergency."

Outside of his on-air duties with WWE and "The Pat McAfee Show," McAfee is a father and husband to his daughter Mackenzie, and his wife, Samantha, whom he married in 2020. Knowing the seriousness of the situation involving his father-in-law, Bob, McAfee noted that he rushed to the local hospital, after wrapping up his talk show, to be there with his wife's family on Monday. There is no word on when McAfee will return to WWE television.

Wrestling Inc. sends its condolences to the family and friends of McAfee during this time.