Pat McAfee gets Stone Cold Steve Austin’s seal of approval - “Has a natural feel for the business”
Pat McAfee has ascended to great heights in the world of sports media as his show is one of the most watched in the industry. Yet, the All-Pro punter could become a star in another industry. WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke to TMZ about McAfee and how he has star potential in the WWE.
Austin noted how impressed he was with him in his match at WrestleMania 38 last year:
"Pat has a natural feel for the business. Epic performer. Great on the stick. Athletically, that match he had with [Austin] Theory was awesome."
Also, Austin was impressed with how the former NFL punter took his finisher, the Stone Cold Stunner following the match with Theory. He went as far to say that it was one of the three most memorable Stunners he's ever done in his career. That says a lot, given that Austin has stunned hundreds of people in his time with WWE.
STUNNER STUNNER STUNNER
#WrestleMania #WrestleMania38 https://t.co/6vfKyzMv02
McAfee made an appearance at this year's WrestleMania at SoFi Stadium as he had an improptu match with WWE superstar The MIz. The Super Bowl winner did have a bit of help from San Francisco 49ers tight end and WWE fan George Kittle. Before that, McAfee fought Baron Corbin at Summerslam last year.
George Kittle can throw a heck of a clothesline. Pat McAfee can do a heck of a Swanton Bomb! #WrestleMania https://t.co/PL3vZgB4qT
The former Indianapolis Colts punter made his in-ring debut at NXT Takeover versus Adam Cole in 2020. It seems that Pat McAfee is all-in on his show and televison career but is still employed by WWE.
All you need to know about Pat McAfee's ESPN deal
McAfee will be taking his talents from FanDuel to the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Per multiple reports, McAfee will be joining ESPN this fall on a multi-million dollar deal that could see him making eight figures a year.
His eponymous show will be seen live weekdays on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN's YouTube channel simultaneously. ESPN will announce the new weekday afternoon schedule prior to the show's launch.
𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Pat McAfee now makes it official, announces that the team is moving to ESPN this fall.
"Our show will be live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Youtube all on the same time."
https://t.co/xVTBhBoLHE
twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman…
He will still be an analyst on "College GameDay" and host different broadcasts of college football telecasts for the network. Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, said in the statement that McAfee "is a proven talent."
Once the move was announced, there were fans that felt that Pat McAfee was "selling out" and was called out by former ESPN employee Jason Whitlock. He quickly responded to those comments in a resounding manner on the show, stating that "It's like, ya’ll motherfu**ers have no idea."
Pat McAfee made it clear that the show will remain in its current format and have the backing of ESPN to get a wider audience.
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