8 Things We Learned From Pat McAfee On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show
1. Why WrestleMania 38 Meant Everything To Him
Steve Austin’s 'Stone Cold' character was the one Pat gravitated towards when he first saw wrestling. He turned on the TV and caught some Raw during the ‘Attitude Era’ in the late-1990s by chance. As a rowdy teenager, McAfee resonated with ’Stone Cold’ because he was anti-authority and seemed to stand up for those who had a rebellious spirit. Countless wrestling fans will have this same story, but it’s fun to hear Pat describe how the real world around him melted away when he watched pro wrestling.
He was able to live vicariously through the loud, brash characters he was watching on-screen. Unlike millions of others though, McAfee got to share the ring with his hero on the grandest stage. He downed some beers with Austin and took a stunner from him after beating Austin Theory then staring at the lights for a creaking Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38.
This was a dream come true, and Pat says he was “honoured” to take a stunner. ESPN ran some nifty WWE footage of Steve complimenting Pat’s “composure out there” shortly afterwards behind the curtain at Gorilla. There were also some clips of the match vs. Theory, but there was nothing about his follow up impromptu battle vs. McMahon at all.
The former boss has become borderline persona non grata in 2025.
'Mania 38 meant a hell of a lot to McAfee, and he was in dreamland when 'Stone Cold' gave him some compliments then said he'd enjoyed working with Pat too. McAfee probably thought things couldn't get any better after that night.
What else did you learn from Pat McAfee on Stephanie McMahon's ESPN show? For more WWE and wrestling, check out 10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Billy Jack Haynes and WWE Backlash 2025: 7 Things That Must Happen!