Adam Cole became a trending topic today after a heated interview with WWE media personality and former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, who had Cole as a guest on his popular digital series The Pat McAfee Show.
After McAfee criticized Cole for his size at one point in the interview, things started to go left after the host suggested Cole’s success was due to Cole surrounding himself with “people more talented” than him.
From there, Cole issued a suspiciously salty response that could have doubled as a promo on NXT.
“I know that you’r just trying to do your job, and that’s fine—I took some time out of visiting my family to come and do your show— but you’re being a total [expletive] right now,” said Cole to McAfee who was recently named the NFL’s Punter of the Decade.
“I find it so ironic that of all people to say I surrounded myself with really great talent and that’s why I succeeded, of all people you? What, a punter? You being on a team that literally did everything. You just having to kick a football every now and then and all of a sudden you feel like you’re really important. Of all people to say that to me: that I surround myself with super talented people and that’s the only reason that I was successful, you’re a psycho.”
Cole eventually stood up from his seat to approach McAfee, who was seated in the host’s chair, and issued a profanity laced tirade. Though the excessive use of f-bombs on-air should be an indicator that the argument was real, this is where the interaction appeared especially staged as Cole lightly shoved a bystander at one point.
McAfee’s ties to WWE, where he has appeared several times as a panelist for pay-per-view events, adds more smoke to the idea that this was a work.
WWE programming has struggled through historically low viewership of late, most recently in the form of AEW Dynamite obliterating WWE NXT this past Wednesday. NXT garnering just 615,000 two weeks after enjoying its first three-week win streak of the Wednesday Night Wars. Assuming this interview was indeed a work, which has not been confirmed as of this writing, perhaps WWE’s latest attempt at turning around struggling viewership—outside of reverting to the past—is viral marketing.
I’ve been a pro wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports website since 2010, and formerly of Bleacher Report, where I was a WWE columnist an
I’ve been a pro wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports website since 2010, and formerly of Bleacher Report, where I was a WWE columnist an host of the nearly 100-episode digital series WWE WTF. In 2012, I was featured in Bleacher Report’s “Why We Watch” documentary discussing the career of Kurt Angle. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a major in business economics, an emphasis in accounting and a minor in sports management.
I’ve been featured multiple times on NPR in addition to appearances on BBC and ESPN Radio. My expertise in pro wrestling includes covering countless WWE and independent wrestling events live, including six WrestleManias.
I created the Pro Wrestling Bits YouTube channel. Subscribe at bit.ly/deezbits
Follow me on Twitter @ThisIsNasty