Pat McAfee is stepping into one of the biggest fights of his WWE career tonight at Backlash in St. Louis, as he goes one-on-one with Gunther in a match that has fans buzzing. This bout marks WWE’s first Premium Live Event since WrestleMania 41, and McAfee finds himself in the spotlight after being blindsided by Gunther on the Raw after WrestleMania.

While McAfee has competed in high-profile matches before, including against top names like Adam Cole and Austin Theory, this encounter with The Ring General is shaping up to be his most brutal yet. Gunther is not only one of the most dominant forces in WWE, but also nearly unstoppable, having only been pinned three times since arriving on the main roster, by Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, and Sami Zayn.

In a feature on WWE.com, NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly shared his own bold prediction for the match.

“I might just have a rooting interest in this match, but that’s neither here nor there. This showdown has every indication that it could get ugly… really ugly,” Kaboly admitted. “Even though McAfee has a resume of banger matches, albeit a small resume, he’s an athlete who has performed at the highest level in professional sports and also sports entertainment. Translation: Don’t count out McAfee when it comes to anything. Saying that, the odds are stacked against him at epic proportions.”

Kaboly pointed to Gunther’s incredible run of dominance and referenced his recent chilling warning to McAfee: “By only the grace of God can lift my arms off your throat.”

Still, Kaboly believes the match may not end with Gunther standing tall. He teased the possibility of a post-match beatdown on McAfee being interrupted by a surprise appearance, perhaps even by WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg. Kaboly listed several potential names: “Jey Uso? Michael Cole? Goldberg? Corey Graves?” Ultimately, his prediction read:

"McAfee defeats Gunther, which leads to Gunther applying a Sleeper to McAfee before McAfee is saved by Wade Barrett."

Interestingly, Goldberg’s name has reportedly been discussed internally within WWE in recent weeks, possibly in relation to his long-rumored retirement match. The last time Goldberg appeared on WWE television was during Bad Blood in Atlanta, where he had a tense faceoff with Gunther, further fueling speculation that a final Goldberg showdown might be in the works.

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