"Felt like I was going to die" - Gunther's move hurt big WWE name more than he expected

WWE Superstar Gunther is known for his hardcore and physical fighting style. The Ring General is almost invincible on the main roster and has only lost to four men. Interestingly, Pat McAfee, who faced him at Backlash, has now revealed how the Austrian’s chops to his chest hurt him beyond expectations.

McAfee was speaking with WWE President Nick Khan on the Pat McAfee Show when he was asked what the Gunther chops were like. Instantly recalling the memories of Backlash in May 2025, the Monday Night RAW commentator said he tried to prepare himself for getting hit.

"Brother, my first one, first one I took? Okay. Cause I was running around, slapping myself in the chest. Just to see in the lead-up to it. I was just seeing what I could do, you know, kind of like Matthew McConaughey, but as hard as I possibly could in the shower. A little bit of wet. I'm like, let me see. I'm smacking the s**t out of myself here, trying to see what it's gonna be like when I realize I would never be able to hit myself as hard as he's about to hit me."

However, McAfee realized that he was never going to be able to get ready for the pain he would receive by taking a hit from The Ring General by hitting himself. During the match, the 38-year-old stated that one of the former two-time World Heavyweight Champion’s chops made him feel like he was going to die.

"That first time I go up over the ropes, I stumble because I see him. Although he's almost ready. Then I go to get him, and I'm exposed completely like this. That's a big mistake. I had not felt one of those. My entire body's like this. Yeah, I felt like I was going to die. Felt as soon as that thing hit me. It felt like I was, the sound popped an eardrum. Okay, off my own chest, and then my sternum just kind of deflated my lungs. So it was a cool time. It was a lot of fun. Everybody. Everybody enjoyed it, St. Louis out there. It was a lot of fun. [1:39:31 - 1:40:20]

Gunther defeated Pat McAfee at Backlash by making him pass out with his Sleeper Hold. The Ring General had got into a fight with McAfee and Michael Cole after the commentators pointed out on RAW after WrestleMania 41 that he had lost to Jey Uso via submission.

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Gunther makes it to the finals of The Last Time is Now tournament

This week’s episode of the red-branded show saw Gunther colliding with Solo Sikoa in the semifinal of the Last Time is Now tournament. Sikoa surprisingly pushed The Ring General to perform at his best and went toe-to-toe with the former two-time world champ.

Gunther had to resort to a strategy instead of his usual brute force way of fighting, and he kept damaging Sikoa’s right thumb to ensure he didn’t get hit by a Samoan Spike. The final moments of the match saw Talla Tonga trying to give an opportunity to his leader by holding the Austrian at the ringside.

However, he had to release the 38-year-old when the referee saw him. The Ring General hit Tonga with a Mule Kick and also low-blowed Sikoa while the referee was distracted and finished things with a power bomb. He will now face LA Knight in the finals.

Please credit The Pat McAfee Show's YouTube channel and give an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use any quotes from the first half of the article.