Growing up in a blue-collar family, Pat McAfee, every Monday night, would sit in his room and find his escape in the world of professional wrestling. “My dream was always to become a professional wrestler,” he would say, but when he found out that his right leg could kick a football really far, a business decision was made. However, wrestling never left his thoughts. Back in December 2016 against a game vs the New York Jets, the Indianapolis punter honored his childhood idol with ‘the bad guy celebration’ by Razor Ramon. But this was still not the first time he showed his interest in wrestling; it was all the way back in 2009.

After graduating from West Virginia in March 2009 and before being drafted by the NFL, the punter found the sweet spot where his actions were no longer being controlled. So, when he was invited to sign autographs at a small semi-pro wrestling event in South Charleston, W. Va., there was his chance. Despite his agent warning him to not step into the squared circle, there he was, the young thrill-seeker, as he remembers the conversation at the event: “‘You want to get in the ring?’ And I go, ‘Yeah! ‘Absolutely!’” And there he went down with the Warpig which he still recalls, “I was lucky to escape with my life.” But for long, that would be his last chance to showcase his wrestling skills.

The Indianapolis Colts selected him in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. But wrestling? “Wrestling is still on my mind.” So, whenever he had a chance, he would pick (fake) fights. In his interview with the Indy Star, he clearly named Vince McMahon to be the one he wants to get into the ring with. And though he enjoyed an accomplished eight-season career in Indianapolis—earning All-Pro honors along the way—it was his love for WWE that truly tugged at his heart. And very recently, he has revealed what exactly pushed him over the edge to walk away from the gridiron in 2017 at just 29 years old.

In a recent episode of Stephanie’s Places on ESPN+, hosted by WWE executive Stephanie McMahon, McAfee opened up about the decision. WWE’s official Instagram account quickly amplified the key quote: “The goal for @patmcafeeshow has always been WWE, even if that meant retiring from the NFL 😲.”

“So I retired at 29. A large part of that is because when I was flying from, I think it was Indianapolis to Charlotte, I was sitting next to Scott Armstrong, the ref. He had a WWE jacket on. So I started asking questions and I started talking to him about how do I get into the business? I’m like, is there an age limit on this entire thing? And he said, ‘Normally we don’t really take anybody new to the business past the age of 30,’ I thought, ‘All right, now is my last chance to make a run at this.’

“When I was in Indy, I bought a wrestling ring– because I found out I could. Got boozed up one night, found out I could buy one, (it) showed up on an 18-wheeler. I put it in my barn. I trained a little bit… Almost every decision that I’ve made has been around trying to get into the wrestling business.”

It wasn’t just a throwaway thought. For McAfee, it became the moment of no return. Shortly after, he began plotting his transition—literally from turf to turnbuckle. He first branded himself with WWE in 2018 when he became a commentator for NXT. In 2020, he made his in-ring WWE debut at NXT TakeOver, feuding with Adam Cole after being hyped by none other than Triple H and instantly becoming a fan favorite. His wrestling aspirations went beyond idle curiosity, they were tactical, almost obsessive.

Impressively, his passion for the sport shows in his commentary, wrestling events, and WWE commitment. And now, after ESPN analyst’s three appearances at WrestleMania, he is all set for WWE Backlash.

Pat McAfee vs Gunther at WWE Backlash

His latest bout against Gunther came after the psychotic wrestler expressed his annoyance at McAfee and Michael Cole for their comments on Raw last week. Clearly, Pat McAfee and Michael Cole had a discussion over his loss to Jey Uso for the WrestleMania 41 World Heavyweight Championship.

They humorously discussed how Gunther had tapped out to Uso during their Raw championship bout. However, after the match, Adam Pearce, the general manager of Raw, kicked him out of the game. As a result, the former West Virginia Mountaineer, McAfee, will be battling against the Austrian wrestler in a most anticipated match on May 10 in St. Louis, Missouri.

It became the most debatable topic among their fans, as now their clash will be more interesting. ESPN is moving forward to fulfill its WWE aspirations.

From breaking records in the NFL to body-slamming rivals on WWE’s biggest stages, McAfee’s unconventional path has made him one of the most recognizable crossover personalities in sports entertainment. And now, with ESPN, WWE, and his own media empire in full swing, his story continues—equal parts punt, punchline, and powerbomb.