Pat McAfee made a shocking return to WWE at WrestleMania 39, and according to the man himself, very few people were in on the secret – including his WrestleMania opponent The Miz.
Ahead of the blockbuster event, WWE CEO Nick Khan claimed that there were “no plans” for McAfee to appear. However, as The Miz and Snoop Dogg were announcing the event’s attendance of 80,497 and addressing the crowd, the sounds of McAfee’s theme rang out throughout the stadium to the delight of the fans.
McAfee was wearing what he called his “WrestleMania tank top,” and said he wanted to challenge Miz to a match right then and there. Miz made the claim that he didn’t have the authority to make matches official, but Snoop Dogg declared that the match would indeed take place.
Sitting front row for the event was NFL star George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, who aided McAfee by delivering a huge clothesline to The Miz after being goaded into jumping the barricade. In the end, McAfee was victorious, pinning Miz to a thunderous ovation.
Pat McAfee Says The Miz Didn’t Know About Their WrestleMania Bout Until Just Before The Match
Speaking on the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL star opened up about his WWE return, saying that only three or four people knew he was going to appear that night. Even longtime friend and SmackDown co-star Michael Cole was unaware that his former co-commentator would be returning on the night.
“There were three people that knew, in the whole world, that was going to be a situation for a little bit. We needed the moment to pop up. Finally, when Miz said, ‘I sent out an open challenge.’ All parties were like, ‘Now is the time.’
“Michael Cole had no idea I was there. He walked by the bus one time, actually seen him. Haven’t seen that guy in a long time, miss that guy, would like to talk to that guy. Can’t because we don’t know if the moment is going to come, and I don’t want to distract him.
“Obviously, Miz did not know until Saturday. For shoot. When my music hit is near when Miz found out. He might have thought, ‘is there somebody back there who wants to come dance?’ He never expected it to be me.”
Miz, who served as host of the blockbuster event alongside Snoop Dogg, was in for another surprise the next night when he was confronted by a returning Shane McMahon. However, when McMahon tore his quad following a leapfrog shortly after making his entrance, Snoop Dogg got involved and delivered a hilarious attempt at a People’s Elbow before pinning Miz.
h/t Fightful