Pat McAfee subtly referenced major AEW star at WWE WrestleMania 41

Modified Apr 21, 2025 13:28 GMT

Pat McAfee as seen at WWE WrestleMania 41 (Images via WWE.com).

Pat McAfee may have subtly made an AEW reference during WWE WrestleMania 41 on Sunday. McAfee was on commentary for both nights of the PLE and called all of the matches alongside Wade Barrett and Michael Cole.

WrestleMania on Sunday saw AJ Styles take on Logan Paul in singles action. During the course of the match, Paul pulled off his springboard lariat on Styles - prompting Pat McAfee to refer to the move as the 'Buckshot Lariat.' For those unaware, the Buckshot Lariat is Hangman Adam Page's finisher in AEW. The former AEW World Champion has won some of his biggest and most important matches with the springboard lariat.

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Pat McAfee's call during the match wasn't the AEW mention fans heard during WrestleMania 41. During the opening match, Michael Cole mentioned Sasha Banks as Bianca Belair's opponent for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 37 Night 1.

AEW talent calls out fan reception for Bianca Belair at WWE WrestleMania 41

Bianca Belair was received poorly by the WWE Universe for her Women's World Championship match on Sunday. The EST walked to a choorus of boos before the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 41.

The negative reaction prompted Amanda Huber, wife of the late Brodie Lee and AEW Community Outreach Coordinator, to call out fans on social media for their treatment of the former Women's World Champion.

"How the eff do people boo Bianca Belair? Genuinely. She’s so da*n good. From her skills to her presentation to her charisma. I don’t get it," Amanda posted.

Check out Amanda Huber's post HERE.

Bianca Belair came extremely close to winning the Women's World Championship.

The EST dropped Rhea Ripley with a K.O.D. but her pinfall attempt was ultimately thwarted with a moonstault by IYO SKY, who proceeded to retain her title.

About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

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Edited by Arsh Das