As Pat McAfee made his way to the ring for his match at the WWE Backlash Premium Live Event on Saturday night, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
Rather than wearing his signature black tank top, the ESPN star donned a WWE replica version of his Indianapolis Colts jersey. Nothing against the Colts, but the look — complete with the name “Mahtherfahker” on the back and “Loyal ’til I’m in the soil” on the captain’s patch — seemed to indicate that McAfee would be playing more of a comedy role in the contest as opposed to showcasing the natural ability that resulted in him being named the Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s 2020 rookie of the year.
But as the match got underway, McAfee removed his jersey, revealing not a black tank top but rather his bare chest. At that point, my disappointment dissipated. Only it wasn’t replaced by excitement, but rather fear on the former All-Pro punter’s behalf.
As a diehard pro wrestling fan, I’m well aware of Gunther’s move set. As such, I knew it was only a matter of time until the former WWE world heavyweight champion turned McAfee’s chest into hamburger meat via his signature chops.
It didn’t take long for my prediction to prove prophetic, with Gunther issuing several openhanded chops to his opponent’s bare chest over the course of their contest. Pro wrestling might be predetermined, but the moves are often very real. At the end of the day, there’s not really a way to fake a 6-foot-4, 251-pound behemoth slapping your bare chest with an open palm.
McAfee got in some slaps of his own, too, and a few spots to highlight his innate athleticism and punting skills. The match, however, was largely a vehicle to reestablish Gunther as a dominant force after he lost his world title at last month’s WrestleMania 41, with “The Ring General” overcoming McAfee’s best efforts — and Michael Cole’s interference — to win the contest with a sleeper hold.
This wasn’t necessarily McAfee’s best match — go back and watch his debut contest against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX — but it was his most high profile. And it would be tough to argue that it didn’t deliver, completing the storyline that first started with Gunther choking out the College GameDay star the night after WrestleMania.
McAfee has proven to be a helluva promo over the past few weeks, helping build the showdown between him and Gunther into one of Backlash‘s most anticipated matches. After the contest, Gunther made the surprising move to acknowledge McAfee, which you wouldn’t have expected from one of WWE’s biggest heels.
It’s unclear whether the display of respect was an indication that Gunther was turning his face or merely a brief moment in which he broke kayfabe to thank McAfee for his efforts in the match and feud. Either way, he wasn’t the only one who appreciated McAfee’s work on Saturday night, as the 38-year-old’s passion for pro wrestling was evident to all who witnessed it.