In the high-stakes world of WWE, careers can change in an instant—sometimes over the most unexpected things. For Pat McAfee, the former NFL Pro Bowl punter turned WWE commentator, his entire WWE journey almost ended before it truly began because of a pair of tuxedo shorts and a heated confrontation with WWE broadcasting veteran Michael Cole.

During a recent ESPN interview, McAfee revealed the shocking backstage incident at WrestleMania 35 that nearly cost him his WWE career. Arriving at the event in what he considered his “Sunday best”—a suit jacket paired with tailored tuxedo shorts—McAfee found himself in an unexpected confrontation.

“I go, ‘Mr. Cole, is it time to rehearse?’ And he goes, ‘Not like that.’ And he spazzes. I mean, full on tantrum,” McAfee recounted. “He goes, ‘You’re not going on the air like that.’ Kicks me out of gorilla. And I’m like, ‘Who the are you talking to right now?’ Like legit. I almost was about to fight Michael Cole.”

The humiliation was compounded by the fact that this confrontation happened in front of WWE legends, including The Undertaker and Triple H.

The Fashion Defense

What made the situation even more frustrating for McAfee was his genuine belief that his outfit was appropriate and fashionable. “I was proud of what I was doing,” McAfee explained. The outfit wasn’t without precedent, either—someone showed Cole a picture of NBA superstar LeBron James sporting a similar look.

This evidence forced Cole to backtrack.

“So Michael Cole had to walk into where I was, tail between his legs, and he had to come in and say, ‘Um, it’s actually okay if you wear those,'” McAfee said with evident satisfaction.

A Partnership Almost Over Before It Began

The relationship between Cole and McAfee, now considered one of WWE’s strongest commentary partnerships, nearly ended that day.

“This whole partnership on Raw, that thing was almost very quickly over. Very, very quickly over,” McAfee admitted.

However, both professionals found a way to move forward.

“Cole calls me back a few days later. We have it out full conversation and literally since then… like best of friends,” McAfee revealed. “And I think he learned a lot about me in that moment. I learned a lot about him.”

The incident serves as a reminder of how tenuous opportunities can be in the entertainment world, where small disagreements can escalate quickly. For McAfee, whose WWE career has since flourished both as a commentator and occasional in-ring performer, that moment of tension ultimately led to a stronger working relationship with Cole and a deeper understanding between two passionate professionals.

From the gridiron to the squared circle, Pat McAfee’s journey from NFL Pro Bowl punter to WWE personality has been anything but conventional. Yet behind the larger-than-life persona and boundless energy that have made him a fan favorite, McAfee harbored serious doubts about his abilities as a wrestler—doubts he candidly shared in a recent ESPN interview.

“I was nowhere near at a level of being good enough to be like in the ring with anybody that’s actually good. And I very much understood that,” McAfee confessed, revealing the vulnerability beneath his confident exterior.

Triple H’s Crucial Role

McAfee’s wrestling aspirations might have taken a very different path if not for the intervention of WWE legend Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who saw potential in the former footballer that McAfee himself couldn’t recognize.

“I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go hit the indies and like see if I can do this or not.’ And he was like, ‘Don’t you even think about it,'” McAfee recalled. “He was like, ‘You need to be doing it with us if you’re going to do it at all.'”

This vote of confidence from one of wrestling’s most respected figures proved pivotal in McAfee’s decision to pursue wrestling within the WWE system rather than cutting his teeth in independent promotions.

An Emotional Journey

Despite his self-doubt, McAfee’s in-ring debut at NXT TakeOver exceeded expectations, showcasing his natural athleticism and innate understanding of performance. The match represented more than just a career transition—it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

“The amount of text messages I got from people that have been through my life… it was a very emotional thing for me,” McAfee shared, his typically exuberant demeanor giving way to genuine sentiment.

The Gratitude Behind the Bravado

While McAfee maintains a realistic view of his wrestling abilities—”I’m not good enough to be full-time professional wrestler,” he admits—his gratitude toward Triple H for providing the opportunity shines through.

“Obviously I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity from Paul, Mr. H, Papa H. Like that’s really cool moment,” McAfee said.

McAfee’s story stands as a testament to the power of taking chances despite the dreaded “impostor syndrome.”