10 Wrestling Moments That Had No Right Being THIS Good
4. Pat McAfee Also RULES
The Pat McAfee Vs. Adam Cole thing was just a bit weird to start off with, which hardly drove the anticipation.
After a couple of years of tense, worked back-and-forth banter on the house show loop and fluff panels, NXT, stale as owt, stumbled upon a new, interesting direction in 2020 by exploiting the dynamic. The show was literally so repetitive that it had to be stipulated that Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa never work together again. The show was literally so repetitive that Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa worked together again after that. For a f*cking hour.
But still, Pat McAfee?
A punter?
They didn't fool the wrestling media - with one obvious and hilarious exception - but their interaction on the Pat McAfee show was interesting, and actually generated some buzz. Many wrestling outlets however were adamant that the actual match would suck, and that McAfee, a lowly punter, shouldn't work a wrestler.
Cole wasn't the size of Lawrence Taylor or Bam Bam Bigelow. He had a cannon of a f*cking foot on him. It was fine!
It was actually better than fine. It was great.
The storytelling was great. McAfee outwitted Cole in the corner with his athleticism, before getting arrogant and trying again. Cole tried to punish him with a superkick, but McAfee recoiled instinctively. This was such a great spot. The character dynamic and McAfee's respect towards and fear of wrestling was established immediately.