10 Wrestling Performances That Proved People Wrong
9. Pat McAfee - Vs. Adam Cole, NXT TakeOver: XXX
Few folks have taken to sports entertainment quite as easily as Pat McAfee has over the last 12 months. But with his outrageously enthralling SmackDown work beside Michael Cole and numerous above average NXT displays fresh in most fan's minds, it's easy to forget that the former NFL punter had his fair share of doubters before taking his relationship with WWE to the next level.
Coming into his scheduled grudge match with Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: XXX, McAfee was all too aware of how fans were feeling about yet another celebrity stepping in to take a spot from a full-time worker. He even admitted that, as a hardcore fan, he used to hate seeing outsiders put themselves over and leave.
By the time the dust had settled on his in-ring debut opposite the most successful NXT Champion in the brand's history, though, few could claim McAfee was just a name being used to draw in casual eyes. After backflipping off the top rope, nailing Cole with a superplex, and even eating a vicious Panama Sunrise, absolutely nobody would turn down the chance to see this former footballer step in-between the ropes again.