Steve Austin Praises Pat McAfee’s Work on NXT

Ever since his stellar debut against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: XXX, former NFL punter Pat McAfee has blown WWE fans away with his outstanding promo skills and his willingness to put his body on the line in matches. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appeared on this week’s edition of ESPN’s Monday Tailgate and praised McAfee for his seamless transition to the pro wrestling business.

“Hey man, he puts it all on the line, he’s going for it. I think his verbal skills, he’s slaying everybody, but he’s not afraid to go out there and put it all on the line. You wouldn’t expect it from a guy who goes out there and kicks a football, but Pat McAfee is bada—. I think he’s doing a really good job. I’d give him a solid A.”

Austin was asked to grade a few more NFL players who have worked for the WWE, including Rob Gronkowski (B+) and George Kittle (A for effort for doing an impression of The Rock).

Austin isn’t the only retired world champion who has openly praised McAfee lately.

“A lot of it has to do with circumstance, but everyone else on the show(s) should feel embarrassment, and subsequently USE said feeling to better themselves, at the fact that @PatMcAfeeShow is a better promo than everyone on the show(s),” CM Punk tweeted earlier this month, adding that he was “the best thing on this show not named [Rhea Ripley].”

McAfee and the Kings of NXT (Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch) came up short in a WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames a few weeks back. The former NFL player took a series of nasty bumps during the match, including a dive off the top of the cage and a moonsault through a table

“I think, ever since I was a kid, and I think anybody you talk to in my past, whether it was junior high, high school, college, even when I got into the NFL, I’ve always said that I think that I was supposed to be a professional wrestler,” McAfee said in a recent interview with ComicBook. “I’m athletic, I’m not the best athlete on planet earth but I’m rather athletic. I’ve always been able to share my opinions and thoughts and be able to speak, and I’ve always enjoyed having a little personality and whether people loved you or hated me, I didn’t really mind. I got police escorted out of a soccer game whenever I was in high school, and I enjoyed it because the fans on the other team were threatening my life or whatever. So I just always thought I was supposed to be in this business.”

“And then whenever I got the opportunity in the kickoff show, and then now getting an opportunity to experience what it’s like, it’s been really cool obviously. I think the hardest thing is obviously, wherever you’re kicking and punting or whatever, which I did in the NFL, I don’t have to have triathlon lungs or cardio or be in that great of shape. There were some years where I looked like an absolute slob, but I could kick the hell out of the ball, so it didn’t matter. So I think that has been the thing, just maintaining shape, the diet, for if anything pops off, I’m ready and prepared. Whenever you get in there, you’ve got to be able to do the work. So I think that’s probably the lifestyle change, I think, that is the most noticeable for me. But aside from that, I’ve just been enjoying the hell out of the entire process.”