Gunther Suspended Indefinitely Following Attack on Pat McAfee – The fallout from WrestleMania 41 has taken a dramatic turn, as former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther has been suspended indefinitely and fined an undisclosed amount following his violent outburst on this week’s episode of WWE RAW.
The incident occurred on the April 21 edition of RAW, just one night removed from Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship loss to Jey Uso. Visibly enraged, Gunther approached the announce table during the broadcast and confronted Michael Cole, who referenced Gunther tapping out to Uso. That comment proved to be the breaking point, as Gunther assaulted Cole and then turned his attention to Pat McAfee, choking out the former NFL punter and co-commentator when he attempted to defend his colleague.
Today, WWE released a video from RAW General Manager Adam Pearce addressing the situation. In a stern message, Pearce confirmed the disciplinary action against Gunther:
“Your actions were reprehensible and disgusting. You will never again put your hands on a member of my announce team, because there ain’t no heat in beating up an announcer,” Pearce said. “You’re frustrated because you lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso, and I get that. But if you want to blame somebody, then park your ass in front of a mirror and ask the person staring back at you.”
Pearce also stated that both Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will return to their commentary roles this coming Monday on RAW. Joe Tessitore stepped in to finish commentary duties this past Monday after McAfee was removed following the altercation.
On his ESPN show Tuesday morning, McAfee addressed the situation, stating he refused to let anyone try to intimidate Michael Cole and vowed to stand his ground.
Gunther’s suspension comes just days after his historic 8-month reign as World Heavyweight Champion came to an end at WrestleMania 41. While no timeline has been given for his return, the message from WWE is clear — physical assaults on non-wrestling personnel will not be tolerated.
Gunther Suspended Indefinitely Following Attack on Pat McAfee
