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Pat McAfee wowed the NXT Universe when he made his in-ring WWE debut against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: XXX this past weekend.
One particular spot in the match that wowed the audience around the world saw Pat McAfee do a backflip from the top rope and land on his feet, before hitting Adam Cole with a superplex.
Pat McAfee discussed various aspects of his match at NXT TakeOver: XXX and recent rivalry with Adam Cole on The Pat McAfee Show on SiriusXM. Pat McAfee admitted he was just as surprised and excited as the fans were to see himself land the athletic backflip:
"I was jacked up about, I was so pumped up about it. Those are things as a kid where I see people do stuff and I'm like that looks awesome. I've always been a good flipper on a trampoline. I think he potentially had his mind blown there. Couple mistakes in there, I end up with the loss but boy, what a bucket list item." (h/t Wrestling INC.)
Pat McAfee on criticism of being an "outsider" competing in WWE
Heading into his WWE debut match at NXT TakeOver: XXX, there was considerable criticism of WWE's decision and skepticism about Pat McAfee's in-ring ability. Many wrestling fans and analysts suggested that the former NFL punter was an "outsider" and wouldn't be able to perform at a high level inside of a WWE ring.
Pat McAfee commented that he did see this criticism heading into the match, despite fans praising him once the match was done:
"As soon as [Triple H] made this a match on Twitter, I saw a lot of people just burying me ... I was getting buried by people that I thought I was a part of their community. I follow all the dirt sheets, and I'm just watching all these people just bury me." (h/t Wrestling INC.)
It is unclear if Pat McAfee will compete once again inside of a WWE ring. However, the WWE Universe has been loud in their praise of the former NFL punter's performance at NXT TakeOver: XXX.
Would you like to see Pat McAfee compete once again inside of an NXT ring in the future?
