Pat McAfee accepted a challenge from Gunther for a match at WWE Backlash on May 10. The announcement came during Monday Night Raw. Last week, Gunther attacked announcer Michael Cole.
When McAfee tried to intervene, Gunther overpowered him and put him in a chokehold. McAfee addressed the incident on Raw this week. I am a man who was not handed a lot in this life,” McAfee said.
“I am a man who is lucky to be blessed with great friends. I am a man who went from being an irrelevant bum to a human who is known in basically every city in this country.”
“When I die and I’m six feet in the dirt, I hope they say that guy was an incredibly hard worker. He worked his ass off not only for himself but for his friends, for his family, for his community,” McAfee continued.
“I hope they say he was an empathetic man. Whenever he received a lot, he gave back a lot.”
Pat McAfee confronts Gunther at Backlash
Gunther recently lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41.
He will likely take out his frustrations on McAfee at Backlash. Other matches set for Backlash include:
– Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
– Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Former wrestler Bully Ray praised McAfee’s promo on Raw. “It was probably one of the most believable things I’ve heard anybody say on a wrestling show in quite some time,” Ray said. “McAfee stood up for [Michael Cole] when he stood up on the announce table and told the world, ‘F you, Gunther, if you’ve got a problem with Cole, you’ve got a problem with me too.’ I really liked it,” Ray added.
Ex-WWE star Nic Nemeth also complimented the promo, saying it worked well because of McAfee’s relationship with the respected Michael Cole. “Michael Cole has that built-in equity of decades of work,” Nemeth said. “That is the perfect way to do it.”
The match between McAfee and Gunther at WWE Backlash on May 10 is highly anticipated after their heated confrontation on Raw.
It will mark McAfee’s return to the ring for the first time since facing Adam Cole in December 2021.
