Pat McAfee recently expressed his gratitude after making a surprise return to WWE on the September 15th episode of SmackDown in a segment with The Rock.
This marked McAfee’s first appearance since WrestleMania 39 and he made quite the impact. McAfee joined The Rock for an in-ring segment with Austin Theory and also had a brief backstage encounter with John Cena. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, the former SmackDown commentator discussed his eventful return and how it all came together at the last minute.
Hey, you want to go on SmackDown, open the show, and then be in the ring with The Rock whenever he does his thing?’ Uh, yeah. But there 5:34 local time. Traffic from Boulder to Denver was not great. Show starts six [o’clock] local time. So a lot a people talk about ‘How long did everything come together?’ It’s like real quick. Everything came together real quick.
McAfee couldn’t help but acknowledge the remarkable reception The Rock received from the fans, expressing his gratitude for being a part of such a special moment. He also revealed that the segment with John Cena was pitched to him and The Rock just as they were about to leave.
They are like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have you guys walk out here.’ This was literally on our way out. They’re like, ‘Can we get a shot of you guys walking out?’ Then obviously, we’ll have Cena in there as well. I was like, ‘You don’t need to have me in here. Listen, I understand the game here. There is no reason for me to be here. I appreciate it.’ They’re like, ‘No, need you there.’ Okay, yeah, absolutely. Then I’m standing there, just like everybody else, watching these two. I’m like, ‘Are these two about to set up for a WrestleMania run right now?’
McAfee explained that people often approach him with ideas straight out of his dreams, and he feels compelled to say yes. This was one of those instances and McAfee couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
During his discussion, McAfee revealed that WWE instructed him to stay in the ring for the entire segment with The Rock. However, he admitted that he personally didn’t think he should have been there. Despite his reservations, McAfee followed WWE’s direction and played his part to the best of his ability.
What Did The Rock Do On SmackDown?
The Rock returned to SmackDown on September 15th and verbally sparred with Austin Theory. After their exchange of words Theory attacked Rocky, Theory didn’t have the upper hand for long as Rocky delivered a spine buster and then a people’s elbow to Theory, he then instructed McAfee to deliver an elbow of his own.
H/t to Fightful.com