Pat McAfee has been added to the WWE SummerSlam card for a match against Baron Corbin, and that's fantastic news for audiences who watch SmackDown on a weekly basis. With Cody Rhodes injured, Roman Reigns wrestling less than anticipated, and Riddle basically locked into Monday Night Raw now, the blue brand found itself in need of some feuds to build ahead of the Biggest Party Of The Summer. Tabbing the announcer, especially this far out from the show, was a smart move by creative for several reasons.

At WrestleMania 38, McAfee put on an alarmingly stellar match with Theory. He wasn't just fantastic in the sense that he's not generally a professional wrestler. McAfee worked a legitimately entertaining match. This is a relatively unseasoned performer who knows how to sway crowds, and his timing was sound, given the fact that it was his fourth match ever. That he was able to not seem out of place in a spot where he shared the ring with Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin in front of more than 156,000 people speaks volumes about his ability as a sports entertainer.

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Now, WWE fans will get to see what McAfee and Corbin can do with a nearly two-month build towards their bout at SummerSlam. That's just shy of how much time Brock Lesnar and Reigns will get to work towards their main event fight for the premium live event, and those two have way more established history. McAfee and Corbin are somewhat out of the blue but are a perfect fit for what they both bring to the table.

Pat McAfee WWE

 

Corbin is the kind of heel that, no matter what he does, he's not going to take any momentum away from the face. If McAfee were entering a program with someone like Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn, there is a chance that they'd be able to steal some cheers away from the former NFL kicker. That's not going to happen with Corbin. He's one of the steadiest heels in the company, and while he's not going to go out at SummerSlam and put on a five-star match, he's not going to drop McAfee on the back of his head on accident either.

This also establishes McAfee as someone who fans can look forward to seeing at one or two of the "big four" WWE premium live events each year. That scarcity will prevent his move set from growing stale, and create opportunities for him to put in a little work to add unexpected wrinkles to what he is doing in the ring. McAfee being on commentary during the build will also be interesting. For instance, what happens if Corbin kayfabe injures Pat, leaving SmackDown to scramble for a healthy commentator for a week or two. WWE can go in a lot of directions in the lead-up to SummerSlam here, and it'll be fun to watch it all unfold between McAfee and Corbin.

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