10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About Pat McAfee

This week, the chief executive officer of the WWE, Vince McMahon, told Pat McAfee that he would have a match at this year’s WrestleMania. To some wrestling fans, McAfee is the goofy commentator on Friday Night SmackDown that dances on top of the announcers' table when Shinsuke Nakamura makes his way to the ring.

However, McAfee has done a lot more in the world of sports and entertainment than just appearing on WWE television. From the football field to hosting “The Pat McAfee Show,” he is no stranger to entertaining. While his football and broadcasting careers have been nothing but successful, McAfee appears to be on the same path when it comes to professional wrestling.

10 He Spent 8 Years In The NFL

Pat McAfee’s first claim to fame came from his tenure as a punter for the Indianapolis Colts. He spent his entire NFL career playing in Indiana. Among his career highlights is making the NFL Pro Bowl in both 2014 and 2016.

In Feb 2017, McAfee announced his retirement from the NFL. His history with knee injuries played a significant role in his decision. He left the NFL to become a contributor for Barstool Sports, which started his broadcasting career.

9 He Held A Guinness World Record

Even though WWE Superstar Natalya brags about holding a Guinness World Record every week on SmackDown, she isn’t the only person on the show to hold that distinction.

In Feb 2016, McAfee broke a world record when he successfully kicked a 40-yard field goal while blindfolded. However, he no longer holds this record. The current world record holder was able to kick a 50-year field goal while blindfolded.

8 He Played On The Same Team As Happy Corbin

In 2009, current WWE superstar Happy Corbin was in the NFL. Corbin was an offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts. Both Corbin and McAfee were rookies in the same year.

Corbin’s NFL tenure was not as successful as McAfee’s. He played less than one season with the Colts. Corbin went on to spend some time with the Arizona Cardinals but received his final release from the league in 2011.

7 He Has Worked For FOX Sports & ESPN

Wrestling fans may have seen McAfee for the first time when he began doing analysis on NXT TakeOver shows. However, McAfee has done football analysis on some of the biggest stages.

McAfee has done television analysis work for both FOX Sports and ESPN. For FOX, McAfee appeared on both college and NFL broadcasts in 2018. The next year, McAfee made the jump to ESPN where he continued to cover college football.

6 He Has Spent Time On The Indy Scene

McAfee has a history with professional wrestling that dates way before his time in WWE. He made his professional wrestling appearance back in 2009, shortly before the NFL draft.

McAfee appeared at an independent wrestling show in West Virginia. At an IWA East Coast show, McAfee was body-slammed by a wrestler named “Warpig.” McAfee would later win the exchange with his patented punt kick.

5 He Trained With A Wrestling Legend

In 2017, McAfee bought his own wrestling ring and began training with legend Rip Rogers. From the late 70s until the early 90s, Rogers wrestled around the world, most notably for the NWA.

After his in-ring career began to settle down, Rogers went on to be the head trainer at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Among Rogers’ most famous graduates are John Cena, Dave Bautista, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Shelton Benjamin.

4 His First House Show Appearance

McAfee’s first WWE appearance did not take place on television. After a Twitter exchange in 2018, McAfee appeared at a NXT house show in Indianapolis, where McAfee lives and is a major local celebrity.

McAfee distracted Adam Cole and cost him a match against Aleister Black, who now wrestles as Malakai Black in AEW, in the main event of the night. This was the catalyst for their feud that would later take place on NXT television.

3 His WWE Debut Match

In 2020, McAfee had one of the most impressive professional wrestling debuts in history. At NXT TakeOver 30, McAfee competed in his first professional wrestling match against Adam Cole.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, McAfee’s debut match scored just shy of four stars. Having such a highly regarded match is a difficult task for any professional wrestler. Having a 3.75-star rating in your debut match is almost unheard of.

2 He Wrestled In WarGames

Despite having only wrestled one previous match, McAfee went on to compete in one of the most brutal matches in all of professional wrestling, WarGames.

In Dec. 2020, McAfee competed in his first main event match when he led his own team into WarGames. McAfee, alongside Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch, fought Adam Cole’s Undisputed Era, which featured Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong. Once again, McAfee had a strong showing. McAfee may not have been on the winning side, but he proved that he could hold his own in a WWE ring. All this experience should serve him well in his WrestleMania 38 bout against Austin Theory.

1 He Doesn’t Need The WWE

McAfee, with the help of his radio show, has built his own media empire. Earlier this year, McAfee signed a $120 million deal with sports betting site FanDuel.

For most professional wrestlers, the WWE is the dream destination where they will make the most money. McAfee’s current status with the WWE is simply due to his love of professional wrestling. This love is evident whenever McAfee is on commentary Friday nights and that love will continue to be evident when he performs on the greatest stage of them all, WrestleMania.