Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

Published Aug. 6, 2020 5:52 p.m. ET
WWE

Want to be famous, Pat McAfee? Here’s your chance.

After Triple H laid down the challenge on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Pat McAfee agreed via social media to meet Adam Cole in the ring for a major showdown at NXT TakeOver XXX.

Cole and McAfee have long traded barbs, though only verbally — until recently as their hostility reached an entirely new level. The two were initially cordial when the former NXT Champion appeared on McAfee’s eponymous show last month. But McAfee’s repeated needling eventually drove Cole to fly off the handle and get in the former All-Pro punter’s face before storming out.

They appeared ready to bury the hatchet when McAfee came to NXT on Aug. 7. The ex-Indianapolis Colt clearly had other intentions, though, repeatedly disparaging Cole on commentary within earshot while his Undisputed ERA allies challenged Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championship.

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Eventually, Cole heard enough, confronting McAfee until they were separated by officials. But with Cole restrained, McAfee savagely seized his opportunity and left him lying unconscious after a massive punt.

While McAfee opportunistically got the better of Cole once, stepping into the ring for his first match against the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history is a much taller order. Has the brash broadcaster written a check he can’t cash, or can he shock the world?  

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