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He's only competed in two matches during his brief NXT tenure, but former NFL punter Pat McAfee is quickly earning the respect of his colleagues and wrestling fans alike. One person in particular who was on that bandwagon early is the reigning North American Champion Johnny Gargano.
McAfee has proved early on that he can cut a tremendous promo. The man hosts his own national radio, on top of being naturally charismatic, so talking was never going to be an issue for Pat McAfee. According to one of the greatest talkers of all time, he's already the best on the mic in NXT.
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Most fans knew Pat McAfee would shine on the mic, ut he has really surprised people with his in-ring ability. The man has seemingly taken to wrestling like a duck to water. He held his own with Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX. He then followed that up Sunday with another fantastic showing at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. One person who hasn't been surprised at all by his success is Johnny Gargano.
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"That's the man," Gargano said emphatically. "I know a lot of people crapped on him when he first came into NXT and was doing the thing with Cole, but I knew, I knew. Like that dude is a freaking freak athlete. You don't play in the NFL if you aren't a freaking great athlete."
Gargano sat down for a chat with Sportskeeda this week, and he said that outside of his natural athletic abilities, the other thing that makes Pat McAfee so good is his love of the game.
"He loves wrestling. Like genuinely loves this. Huge, huge fan. Has a ring in his house. Like literally, like he loves this stuff and he wants to be good at it. And he respects it. I think that's one of the most important things too, is he respects what we do. He isn't a just celebrity coming in for a payday. He generally always wanted to do this. So I knew based on his charisma, he was going to kill it in the promo department. And based on his athleticism, I knew he could go on the ring as well. I knew he could have a good match."
Could we see Johnny Gargano vs. Pat McAfee one day? If Gargano gets his way, absolutely.
Pat McAfee has a title shot whenever he wants it.
"Johnny Wrestling" could barely hold back his excitement when asked about the possibility of stepping into the ring with Pat McAfee. He told Sportskeeda that he's even willing to put his North American Championship on the line.
"Let's go! Let's do it. I'd love to face Pat McAfee for the North American Championship."
You reading this Pat? The ball is on your foot now. Are you ready to go after that NXT North American Championship?
How about you? Do you want to see Johnny Gargano vs. Pat McAfee? Let us know in the comment section below. Don't forget to check out Sportskeeda's entire conversation with Johnny Gargano in the video above.
