“Welcome to Twitter. Here is your copy of the Communist Manifesto and a season pass to Monday Night RAW for some reason,” reads an iconic tweet from 2015 that summed up what it felt like to be on Twitter back when it was good.
This past weekend certainly felt like it recaptured that sentiment, if only for a while, thanks to WrestleMania 41, as everyone’s feeds, be it on X, Bluesky, or otherwise, were filled with constant updates and reactions to professional wrestling’s biggest event.
One of the main events this year was a match between CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, the outcome of which was primarily determined by manager Paul Heyman, who changed alliegences from Reigns (and Punk) to Rollins.
It’s very convoluted but all you know need to know is that whoever Heyman aligns himself with usually ends up doing very well, thanks in large part to his ability to command a ring and captivate an audience. He also has a willingness to say almost anything to get a reaction from the crowd.
Ever the perpetual showman, Heyman brought that bravado with him to Monday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, where he called out Shannon Sharpe’s sexual assault lawsuit (while on ESPN) and jabbed McAfee over his relationship with Stephen A. Smith (also on ESPN).
As a heel (bad guy), Heyman often gets called out by wrestling crowds, and that was also true on Monday when some of the people there to see McAfee’s show took shots at the WWE manager. Being who he is, Heyman played along and called out one person in particular over what they said. What he said in return may have gone a little too far.
“Who’s the smart ass?” asked Heyman, standing and facing the crowd. “You, the one that’s gonna get deported.”
Cameras then panned to show a man in the front row who Heyman presumably identified as being Hispanic.
“Hey amigo, I may suck but it’s your mother that taught me how.”
While the members of The Pat McAfee Show are prone to speaking their minds and playing fast and loose, even they seemed to feel like Heyman had crossed a line of some kind.
Heyman was referencing the ongoing efforts by the Trump administration of mass deportation of illegal immigrants, which have been widely criticized for the use of foreign internment camps without trial, opportunities to contest internment, or adequate due process under the Constitution. As such, it’s a highly charged topic that might pass with some wrestling fans but crosses a line for mainstream audiences.
It’s been a heck of a day for The Pat McAfee Show. Crazier things have been said on it, including about ESPN and its employees, but we’ll see if there’s any internal pushback on what went down. Probably not, though.