7 Ups & 4 Downs from WWE Raw (5 May - Results & Review)

4. McAfee Talks A Good Game

It really is a shame that Pat McAfee can cut a really good promo. Or more accurately, it sucks that he’s an unbearable color commentator rather than a regular wrestler, manager or talking head with less exposure.

Had he been any of the latter, McAfee would be more universally welcomed as a brash, outspoken sometimes-wrestler. Instead, it’s easy to dismiss him for being a detriment to the product on commentary.

Monday night, McAfee went face-to-face with Gunther ahead of their Backlash match. The former football star spent a good chunk of his opening putting over Michael Cole and noting that Cole’s longevity afforded him the right to have an opinion on the action, and Gunther was way in the wrong to attack a 60-year-old announcer.

From there, McAfee put over Omaha (where Raw emanated from Monday night), segueing to talking about how he and Gunther both dreamed of becoming involved in the wrestling business. The difference was that Gunther had become jaded and treats it as a job, while Pat is “jacked’ to come to work and loves all of the content. He said Gunther’s overconfidence and not “wanting it” would be his downfall at Backlash.

This fired up Gunther, who told McAfee that he now had his “full and undivided attention. The bell will ring Saturday and the Ring General will maul the commentator, choking him out until he hits the mat “like a wet towel.”

The match might surprise on the night, but it could also be a total trainwreck. Still, you have to give a bit of credit to McAfee here.