For weeks now it’s been rumored that Vince McMahon would be stepping into the ring to face Pat McAfee on the Grandest Stage of Them All, and last week McMahon offered up a WrestleMania match to the SmackDown announcer on the Pat McAfee Show.
Pat McAfee gladly accepted the WrestleMania match, and it was revealed the next night on SmackDown that McAfee will be facing off against Austin Theory at WrestleMania 38.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a plan for Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee had been worked out with the idea being that Austin Theory would take all the bumps. However, Vince McMahon evidently had second thoughts about advertising himself for a match with McAfee when he knew he couldn’t deliver without smoke and mirrors.
Internally it was noted that this was a big change from the original plans, but the plan is still for McMahon to be the heat of the match, and there will be an angle to get him involved to the point where he will likely be overseeing the match at ringside. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
