Pat McAfee Defends Co-Hosts Being Part of WWE 2K24 Amid Controversy

Pat McAfee has been a major name on Monday Night RAW since his return at the Royal Rumble earlier this year and he is known to be quite outspoken regarding matters he takes personally. That’s why it’s no surprise he defended his ‘Pat McAfee Show’ co-hosts being part of WWE 2K24 despite backlash for their inclusion in the game.

The Pat McAfee Pack will include WWE RAW announcer Pat McAfee as a playable character in the game, along with his co-hosts from the Pat McAfee Show: AJ Hawk, Boston Conner, Darius Butler, and Ty Schmitt.

Some fans have questioned why these personalities were chosen over other WWE stars. Ty Schmitt added to the controversy by saying that fans just want “some of these other losers no one’s ever heard of” in the game. He also mentioned that he’s not bothered by the criticism of the DLC pack. Karmen Petrovic has also fired back at what Pat McAfee’s co-hosts had to say.

While speaking on the July 30th episode of The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee enthusiastically talked about Darius Butler’s inclusion in WWE 2K24. Butler stated that he had shared a clip of their previous NXT appearance on social media to remind fans of their involvement with the show.

McAfee found the situation amusing, mentioning the Monday Night Raw promo from this week that featured their group. He expressed gratitude and excitement about their involvement, urging fans to share any footage of them in action.

“Everything about it is hilarious. There was a promo on Monday Night Raw for this last night, which is hysterical to think about. We are incredibly lucky, thankful, and pumped, and if you’re punting through people, we would like to see a clip and post it immediately.”

Reflecting on their early days in NXT, McAfee pointed out that the group played a part in his NXT tenure, which eventually led to significant events like WarGames. He noted that being considered an NXT legend was a significant honor, referencing Michael Cole’s comments and mentioning other NXT veterans like Bobby Roode. McAfee also highlighted that many NXT legends are now part of the WWE roster.

“People forget that you were guys were part of an NXT run that would eventually lead to a main event of a pay-per-view, WarGames. Now, obviously, that wasn’t the direct run. That was from the previous run. But nonetheless, it was an honor to be considered an NXT legend. That’s what Michael Cole called me last night, and I was talking to Bobby Roode, he’s also an NXT legend. If you look on the roster of Monday Night Raw, there’s a lot of other NXT legends. It’s an honor to go through NXT, and if you get up there, just like Darius, just AJ, you may end up in WWE 2K24.”

Unsurprisingly, Gallus also called out Pat McAfee’s co-hosts for a match in NXT. Regardless, there will always be a lot of discourse surrounding Pat McAfee’s co-hosts and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

What do you think of what Pat McAfee had to say about his co-hosts being part of WWE 2K24? Do you feel his explanation is a proper justification? Sound off in the comments section below!