Pat McAfee has one of the most fascinating stories in sports today, and that will go to a new level with a match at WWE’s WrestleMania 38.
The former Indianapolis Colts punter, who continues to build an impressive post-playing career, had WWE chairman Vince McMahon on his daily podcast Thursday. The far-ranging interview offered plenty of insight into McMahon’s life and career, but it also included an invitation from the pro wrestling giant.
Toward the end of the interview, McMahon asked McAfee — who currently serves as the TV color commentator on WWE’s “Smackdown” show — if he wanted a match at WrestleMania next month. McAfee unsurprisingly jumped at the opportunity.
McAfee’s opponent is unknown. There was a rumor floating around, per longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, that McAfee would actually wrestle McMahon at the show. McMahon, by the way, is 76 years old.
McAfee once tried his hand at becoming a pro wrestler but ultimately settled for the announcing booth. That being said, he does have some in-ring experience. He even had a match with Adam Cole at an “NXT Takeover” show early in his WWE tenure.
Again, McAfee’s post-NFL run has been pretty remarkable. He retired from the NFL, seemingly in his prime, after eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He left that job to join Barstool Sports. He eventually left Barstool to expand his own brand, which has worked out pretty well with the WWE gig, and he just agreed to a deal with FanDuel worth a reported $120 million.
WrestleMania will be a two-night event, spanning April 2-3 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
