Corey Graves filling in for Pat McAfee on WWE SmackDown this week
Pat McAfee will be absent from the commentary team for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
On the WWE After the Bell podcast this week, Corey Graves revealed that he’ll be calling tonight’s SmackDown alongside Michael Cole. McAfee is at Lake Tahoe for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.
Tonight’s SmackDown is the post-Money in the Bank episode of the show. There was an angle after Money in the Bank went off the air last Saturday where Happy Corbin attacked McAfee and accepted his challenge for a match at SummerSlam.
EXCLUSIVE: Happy @BaronCorbinWWE brutally attacked @PatMcAfeeShow after #MITB before responding to McAfee's #SummerSlam challenge! pic.twitter.com/DsLFvRzExp
— WWE (@WWE) July 3, 2022
After Corbin’s attack, McAfee wore a neck brace while attending UFC 276 in Las Vegas later that night.
McAfee vs. Corbin has been made official for SummerSlam, which is taking place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, July 30.
McAfee made his WWE main roster in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 this April. The former NFL All-Pro punter also worked two matches for NXT in 2020.
It was announced yesterday that McAfee has signed a multi-year contract extension with WWE. While the exact length of the extension wasn’t disclosed, WWE stated that the deal “will see McAfee entertaining the WWE Universe for years to come.”
Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas is hosting tonight’s SmackDown.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.