9 Match Star Ratings For WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 2

3. Pat McAfee Vs. Austin Theory

Mr. McMahon WrestleMania 38
WWE.com

Pat McAfee emerged on Night 2 of WrestleMania 38 as the most over babyface WWE has built in years, so of course he got 50/50 booked on his main roster debut.

That misses the point entirely because this wasn't the platform for a babyface push, or owt traditional like that. So what was it?

The extended segment started off quite brilliantly. McAfee is one of the best athletes WWE has, and this crowd was besotted with him. He worked something far beyond adequate. Much of it across action and plotting was borrowed from his debut with Adam Cole - the backflip off the turnbuckles, the vertical leap back - but it was so much more effective with a crowd to gasp in their awestruck reaction to the charismatic super fan prodigy they lived through vicariously. Theory is no Cole between the ropes (not that he doesn't deserve credit for a role often entrusted with a more experienced talent), but his dumbass gimmick and broad facials worked well on the night to sell the all-important disbelief element.

WWE is never going to be a great wrestling promotion. They don't want to be or even designate themselves as a wrestling promotion. By this point, it felt like WWE had perfected the art of dumb silliness.

And then...

Star Rating: ★★★

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!