The Miz Didn’t Know WrestleMania Opponent Beforehand

At WrestleMania 39 Pat McAfee pulled off his best Gene Parmesan impression as he did it again, shocking the entire WWE – and especially Michael Cole – with his appearance.

McAfee answered The Miz’s open challenge on night one of the event, putting the former WWE Champion away with more than a little help from NFL star George Kittle who had been sitting at ringside.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, the SmackDown announcer revealed that not even The Miz knew McAfee was there until the very last minute:

“There were three people that knew, in the whole world, that was going to be a situation for a little bit. We needed the moment to pop up. Finally, when Miz said, ‘I sent out an open challenge.’ All parties were like, ‘Now is the time.’

“Michael Cole had no idea I was there. He walked by the bus one time, actually seen him. Haven’t seen that guy in a long time, miss that guy, would like to talk to that guy. Can’t because we don’t know if the moment is going to come, and I don’t want to distract him.

“Obviously, Miz did not know until Saturday. For shoot. When my music hit is near when Miz found out. He might have thought, ‘is there somebody back there who wants to come dance?’ He never expected it to be me.”

Pat McAfee last appeared on WWE screens at the Royal Rumble in January 2023 where he was a surprise commentator for the night, bringing unbridled joy to Michael Cole. The star has cast doubt on his future in the company and suggested he’d need to see who ended up buying WWE before he made his next move – now that a sale has been announced, McAfee’s future remains up in the air.

The Miz had a busy WrestleMania despite just hosting the event. He ended up losing to McAfee on night one before facing Shane McMahon, who suffered a horrendous injury on night two, before being pinned by Snoop Dogg.

h/t Fightful