Pat McAfee reflects on WWE SummerSlam match against Happy Corbin

On the first episode of his radio show since SummerSlam, Pat McAfee reflected on his performance against Happy Corbin.

McAfee defeated Corbin at SummerSlam after hitting a low blow and then a Code Red where he jumped from the second rope. After defeating Theory and losing to Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38, SummerSlam was the third match that McAfee has had on the WWE main roster.

McAfee said on his radio show that SummerSlam was different than WrestleMania because it didn’t take place indoors. McAfee said he should have trained differently by planning for the humidity.

I did do the Swantone Bombini. I will say, I did not expect the ring posts to look the way they looked while I was climbing up there. There were some moments in that match that were really like, ‘Should have prepared differently.’ For instance, just walking into the stadium, I took a nice deep breath of that humid air — and it was thick. It was sauna thick down there. Because it was supposed to rain. Projections of the weather for like two weeks, to a week out, even the morning of are like, ‘Yeah, rain’s coming.’ And whenever it’s hot and rain’s coming, that means it’s humid as f*ck. And I didn’t even think about that as I was training in my basement in air conditioning. That immediately hit me day of. I’m walking in and, ‘Oh no, this is not in an arena. This is not in an enclosed area. This is going to be hot as f*ck out here.’ And as I’m walking around I start sweating [and] I’m like, ‘I haven’t even done anything and I am drenched.’ I started to hydrate earlier. Started to hammer some waters and Gatorades. Definitely thought though, ‘Should have trained differently for this one. Should have went outside a little bit.’ We’ll learn for later. A little bush league on my part not to think about it being outside.

A lot of my offense off the ropes and with the ropes. Ropes are wet, obviously, a little slick, humid. The shoes I was wearing, had not worn them on ropes. So there was a lot of things that as they are happening I was thinking to myself, ‘F*cking idiot. Bush league. You are so dumb.’ I go up for the base jump to catch f*cking Bum Ass Corbin off guard. And I felt real good about that like as I was flying through the air. And then left foot on first, whoosh, I felt like I had nothing under me. Luckily, grab onto him like I’m a god damn koala bear. Hang onto him, bruise up the shins on the ropes. As it is happening, they say you have so much adrenaline you don’t feel anything out there, that’s a lie. As my shins were bouncing on the ropes, ‘Oh, I’ve never been hurt so bad.’ Superplex happens, I thought it was over there.

There was a moment in the match where McAfee hit a Swanton Bomb from the top rope to a standing Corbin on the outside. McAfee said it was tough to keep his balance, but he ultimately hit the move the way he wanted to.

As I’m climbing up there, I’m like, ‘Oh no, foot slipping a little bit on that second rope, shouldn’t be a problem.’ Then I get up onto that third rope and I’m like, ‘Oh no, I should have done a little bit more work maybe in these shoes on top on that thing.’ I think I was too Italian, I went too hard with the [gesturing to the crowd]. And it threw me off. I felt the gravy of the humidity running me down. Once I caught just one little brief second, boom, out of nowhere on Corbin. Hit that thing perfect. Hit that thing exactly how I wanted to hit it. Felt good about it. Some people were tweeting me, giving me way too much credit. ‘Did you see him make it appear as if he was off balance so he could keep us all at the edge of our seat? That is what it’s all about.’ I wanted to let you know that was not the case. If you could’ve heard what was going on in-between my ears when I was up there. Immediate regret is the sound of what was talking in my brain. Happy the body was able to figure it out. If you see, left foot rebalances on the rope a little bit further down. That could have been catastrophic. If there was any on that one [his other foot], you’re talking full split, I’m down. So I’m very thankful for the ropes, making it happen up there.

McAfee clarified that it was a Code Red that he used to beat Corbin and not a Destroyer. McAfee said he’s never done the move to anyone before but this felt like the right time and place for it.

McAfee said it wasn’t the cleanest match he’s ever had, but he was happy to get out of it with a win. McAfee brought up that he and Corbin dreamed about this moment while they were both trying to make the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. McAfee played up the storyline between him and Corbin, saying that he’s willing to let bygones be bygones after SummerSlam but he doesn’t know how Corbin feels.

Wasn’t the cleanest match I’ve ever had. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the humidity, as I should have been. But I’m pumped to get out of there with a dub. And Bum Ass Corbin and I talked about that 13 years ago. Although he’s still a scumbag. We haven’t talked since the match, so I have no idea what our next encounter is going to be. I’m a bygones be bygones guy. We fought, we can move on. I don’t know how he is, especially with what he’s become with WWE.

It was announced last month that McAfee has signed a multi-year contract extension with WWE. He calls SmackDown every Friday night alongside Michael Cole.