This Saturday, Pat McAfee will face Gunther at the WWE Backlash premium live event in St. Louis.
To most, the match represents a sports media star and celebrity taking on a former WWE world champion. McAfee, however, sees his career the other way around.
This week’s episode of ESPN’s Stephanie’s Places featured a discussion between former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon and McAfee regarding his career path. And when it comes to the influence that professional wrestling has had on him, the former All-Pro punter didn’t mince words.
“I turned on Monday Night Raw for the first time during the ‘Attitude Era’ and I got a chance to kind of escape from my life and escape from my bedroom and live through these superstars,” McAfee told McMahon. “I think Stone Cold Steve Austin was a massive piece of like my mindset towards life. He represented my neighborhood, my community, my people. You know, we feel like we’ve gotten screwed by the man.”
The 38-year-old added: “I think if you look at my life, I think you could say that wrestling, like, created me.”
Even before his affiliation with WWE, it wasn’t difficult to see the pro wrestling influence in Pat McAfee.
Between his bombastic personality, strategic self-promotion and ability to cut a helluva promo, the Pittsburgh native has always presented himself as a character cut out for the squared circle. Hell, this was a punter who once celebrated a successful fake punt by strutting down the field as if he were Conor McGregor.
The pro wrestling flavor in McAfee’s persona has only been amplified in recent years as he’s become an official part of the WWE family. In addition to participating in various matches — including multiple showcases at WrestleMania — the College GameDay star has also served as the primary color commentator for the company’s biggest shows on and off since 2021.
That role also happened to land him in a sleeper old via Gunther during last month’s Raw After WrestleMania. And that set the stage for this Saturday’s showdown, the type of match that Pat McAfee has spent his whole life dreaming of.