Gunther breaks character; Pat McAfee & Michael Cole stunned

WWE Superstar Gunther locked horns with Pat McAfee at the Backlash Premium Live Event. The Ring General surprisingly broke his on-screen character after the match ended.

After losing to Jey Uso via submission at WrestleMania 41, Gunther started a beef with Pat McAfee and Michael Cole after the latter highlighted his loss on RAW after 'Mania. After The Ring General took things too far by choking out McAfee, the commentator challenged him to a match at Backlash 2025.

Going into the match, there was no comparison between Gunther's and Pat McAfee's wrestling ability. However, McAfee surprised everyone by putting on an incredible performance. The WWE RAW commentator stood his ground for most of the match and hit some impressive moves on his opponent.

During the last stages of the match, Michael Cole got involved. Cole tried to help his colleague multiple times, but failed in all of his attempts. Pat ultimately gave in to The Ring General's sleeper hold, and the match ended in the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion's favor.

Following the contest, the Imperium leader shocked everyone by acknowledging Pat McAfee's performance and paying his respect to the latter. It was an unexpected moment because the Austrian rarely breaks character to endorse a fellow wrestler on TV.

Check out the video below.

It remains to be seen what the Triple H-led creative team has planned for The Ring General's future.