WWE star Gunther chokes out Pat McAfee in bitter rage following WrestleMania 41 loss
WWE star Gunter was on a warpath on "Monday Night Raw" after he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41 over the weekend.
Gunther got into the face of play-by-play commentator Michael Cole and was about to put a submission hold on him before Cole's partner, former NFL punter Pat McAfee, stepped in and stopped the former champion from causing more damage.
But McAfee appeared to run into a buzzsaw of his own.
Gunther immediately attacked McAfee and put him into a sleeper hold. McAfee's ESPN producers jumped over the barricade in an attempt to stop the "Ring General" but were stopped by WWE security. Eventually, Gunther pulled himself off of McAfee and walked to the back.
McAfee was out of the rest of the broadcast, being replaced by Joe Tessitore.
The Austrian superstar appeared to be extremely unhappy with his performance at WrestleMania 41. Uso made him submit in his stunning win to pick up his first world championship.
Gunther told Fox News Digital in the hours before his match that he was happy with being the "party pooper" of WWE. However, it was Uso who rained on his parade.
"Welcome to the yeet era," Uso told reporters on Saturday night at the post-WrestleMania 41 press conference. "I don't know what's about to happen. I'm gonna embrace the hate. I'm gonna embrace the love.
"All I know is, I'm in Las Vegas. I got family out there. I dethroned the 'Ring General.' I'm the heavyweight champion."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arthur Smith 'Constructing' Steelers Offense Around Aaron Rodgers
Arthur Smith 'Constructing' Steelers Offense Around Aaron Rodgers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Pittsburgh Steelers finally landed a quarterback, signing veteran and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. The move came very late in the offseason, after most of the roster was constructed. Still, that hasn't stopped the Pittsburgh coaching staff from working their gameplan around Rodgers. Advertisement Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had Aaron Rodgers on his mind for a long time, and as such, has spent the entire offseason retooling his offense to fit the new guy. Although Rodgers didn't sign until June, he met with Smith and the team back in March. Smith spoke with Missi Matthews for the Steelers' website, and he talked on being able to change quickly, after running offenses for three different NFL franchises and more quarterbacks than one can count. "You learn to adapt to the change." Smith said. "You'd love to have that consistency, but that's not the reality sometimes." Smith noted that last year, the Steelers deployed two different quarterbacks: Justin Fields for the first six weeks, and Russell Wilson for the rest of the season. Researching and preparing an offense around a quarterback is nothing new to Smith, saying last year the Steelers did "the same thing we did with Aaron [Rodgers]." Advertisement "Obviously, there's an unknown if he wasn't gonna be here." Smith noted. "But the way you built things, and the way I kind of mapped it out and that's what I showed him when he got here a couple days ago, we've constructed to move forward with him. 'The way we wanted to evolve, anyway, really fit his skill set. So we're excited. I'm really excited to get going on the season." Now that Rodgers is officially in Pittsburgh, that makes all the work Smith put in during the offseason worth it. Now, the focus shifts to implementation. According to reports, Smith and Rodgers "immediately dove" into the playbook as soon as the pen hit the paper. Interestingly, Smith said Rodgers already fit the changes he wanted to make regardless. Earlier in the offseason, he admitted that he couldn't do everything he would have liked to do. Now, with Rodgers, Smith feels he can fully implement his offense in a way he couldn't with Wilson and Fields. Advertisement Don't be concerned about a battle for control over the offense, as neither Smith nor Rodgers is. "I'm gonna learn the offense, and Arthur and I are gonna talk a bunch this summer," Rodgers said. Related: Steelers Legend Thinks Aaron Rodgers On Verge of Retiring Related: Joe Haden Reveals Key to Steelers' Most Important Relationship This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
NFL writer says 49ers star is on one of the worst contracts in the league
NFL writer says 49ers star is on one of the worst contracts in the league After the San Francisco 49ers selected wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft out of Arizona State, he went on to catch 269 passes for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns in 62 games over his first four seasons. As he was set to enter the 2024 season on a fifth-year option, Aiyuk held out for a new deal, and he eventually received a massive four-year, $120 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season. Unfortunately, Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the team's Week 7 battle with the Kansas City Chiefs last year, limiting him to just 25 receptions for 374 yards in seven games. Now, as this year is the first of the extension, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has ranked the contract as the seventh-worst of any in the league entering 2025. "Missed time aside, the deal wasn't great for San Francisco," Knox wrote. "The 49ers were pressured into offering it by Aiyuk's offseason holdout and trade request, but there's no getting around the fact that the 49ers overpaid. "Aiyuk had flashed high-end potential in his first four seasons. ... However, he had yet to establish himself as a top-tier receiver or a perennial Pro Bowler. Desperate to hang onto its playoff-caliber core, San Francisco gave AIyuk a massive four-year deal that still has him as the league's eighth-highest-paid receiver in terms of annual salary. "With all due respect to Auyuk, he's not the NFL's eighth-best wideout. He showed that by failing to live up to his contract, when healthy, this past season... Making this deal even worse is the fact that the 49ers don't have a clean out until 2027, when they can eat $21.2 million in dead money to save $20.2 million in cap space." With the injury coming in the middle of the 2024 season, it's possible that Aiyuk will miss the start of 2025, and even if he returns in time for the opener, it may take him some time to be the player he was prior to the injury. However, if Aiyuk returns and looks like he hasn't missed a step as the team's top wide receiver, not only could he help bring San Francisco back to the postseason this year, but he could also drastically change the perception of the contract. More 49ers: 49ers RB appreciates being coached by "the best in the business"
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Prince William's kids share cute 'before and after' photos for Father's Day
Prince William's kids share cute 'before and after' photos for Father's Day Show Caption Hide Caption Prince of Wales throws pigskin at NFL charity training event Prince William participated in an NFL charity event, where he stepped in as a quarterback and threw football with participants. Prince William has lots of love in his life this Father's Day. The official Instagram account for Prince William and Princess Kate shared a Father's Day message to William, 42, from the couple's three children on Sunday, June 15. The post also included two photos of William with Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. The first picture showed the four standing and posing together, casually coordinated in jeans and sweaters, while the second showed them all lying on the ground and laughing. "Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you!" the caption read. The Instagram post was signed "G, C & L" with a heart emoji. King Charles also sent a Father's Day message on Instagram. The official account for the royal family shared two photos, the first a picture of Charles, 76, and his sister Princess Anne, 74, as children on a swing being pushed by their late father, Prince Philip. The second photo showed Queen Camilla, 77, with her late father, Bruce Shand. "To all Dads everywhere, we wish you a happy Father's Day today," the caption read. Princess Kate and Charlotte twin: The mother and daughter wore coordinated looks for Trooping the Colour The messages came one day after Trooping the Colour, the royal birthday celebration for King Charles. William, Kate and their children all attended, with Kate and Charlotte both dressed in aqua. For Kate, it was her first Trooping the Colour since she announced in January that she was in remission from cancer, which she battled throughout 2024. Kate, William and their kids posed for a photo together at Trooping the Colour and in an Instagram post thanked "everybody who came, and to all those who took part." See the photos: Prince William, Princess Kate get dolled up for annual Royal Garden Party William's brother Prince Harry, who moved to the U.S. with his wife Duchess Meghan in 2020, was not present for Trooping the Colour and hasn't attended since 2022. They notably did not join the rest of the family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour that year, as they are not working royals. Harry and Meghan live in California with their two kids: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4. Contributing: Jay Stahl
