People Unhappy With Pat McAfee’s WWE Involvement Are More Favorable Toward Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith may be getting closer and closer to WWE television — because according to a new report, internal discussions about using the ESPN star are becoming very real.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed there is now “serious talk” inside WWE about working with Smith in a much bigger capacity moving forward.

“We haven’t seen anything with Stephen A. Smith yet, although, boy, has that name been talked about, and I know it’s serious talk.”

Meltzer then revealed an especially interesting detail about the internal reaction to Smith compared to Pat McAfee, claiming some people inside WWE who were unhappy with McAfee’s usage are much more supportive of the ESPN personality being brought in.

“Put it this way, a lot of the people who were not happy about Pat McAfee, in fact, are favourable to Stephen A. As far as internally, it goes.”

The adds even more fuel to growing speculation surrounding Smith’s WWE future. Over the last several weeks, Smith has repeatedly teased the idea of becoming involved with WWE programming while openly taking shots at Paul Heyman on ESPN’s First Take. During the May 8 episode of First Take, Smith claimed that under Heyman’s guidance he could become WWE’s top heel.

“I will say that, you know what, through the guidance and the tutelage of the great Paul Heyman, I would ultimately be the number one heel. I would out-heel the heel. I would. And I dress a lot better than Paul Heyman.”

Smith has already become increasingly tied to WWE over the last year through ESPN promotion, especially after ESPN Unlimited began airing WWE premium live events in the United States following Wrestlepalooza in September 2025.

That relationship led to multiple crossover moments involving Smith around WrestleMania 42, including a comedic angle where Danhausen “cursed” him ahead of the event. Smith was also loudly booed by fans while sitting in the crowd during night one of WrestleMania 42.

Meanwhile, previous reports from WrestleVotes Radio stated WWE officials were already “pleased and enthusiastic” about Smith becoming more involved with the company because of his crossover value and mainstream visibility.

Bottom line: Stephen A. Smith keeps publicly talking like someone preparing for WWE television, and now the company itself is having “serious talk” internally about making it happen — with some people inside WWE apparently preferring him over Pat McAfee.