Entering into proceedings via a longstanding pre-show beef with Adam Cole, Pat McAfee brought his ultra-infuriating self-confidence and an NFL punter of the year's kick into regular rotation after a blow-up between the two on his radio show. A gripping build yielded an even better match, informing some of the best television all year in the months that followed.
McAfee's shocking return brought about the arrival of The Kings Of NXT. Pete Dunne and new Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch - all rejuvenated IRL and in kayfabe by their association with an ex-footballer that's been doing any of this about 10 minutes.
A gutsy display at WarGames highlighted that the debut was no fluke, and his promos would be talking people into buildings should such a thing be allowed. He's got a genuinely prodigious gift for the gab - so good that it may force a reevaluation into the Performance Center's clearly too-strict promo rules. A change in content and cadence is such a breath of fresh air, especially considering the quality of Pat's angles so far. Here's to loads more of this next year.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
