Tommy Dreamer Ranks Pat McAfee’s Promo on GUNTHER Among Top 20 of All Time – Tommy Dreamer offered high praise for Pat McAfee’s emotional promo directed at former WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER on RAW, calling it one of the most powerful wrestling promos in recent memory. Speaking on Busted Open After Dark, Dreamer went so far as to rank it among the greatest ever.
“This promo was great. This promo was excellent, putting this up in top 20 promos of all time,” Dreamer stated. He attributed its success to McAfee’s authenticity and ability to make his story relatable to the audience. “Here’s why, because it was real. He gave his own story, which we could all talk about ourself. But my biggest key when I say is the emphasis of the curse word.”
Dreamer broke down the structure and emotional pacing of the promo, highlighting how McAfee carefully built his narrative to draw sympathy before delivering a powerful climax. “He’s literally living the American dream and going after a guy who could kick his ass,” Dreamer said. “It was such a great, heartfelt promo. At first… I was like, ‘Man, he’s narcissistic in his own way of telling a story.’ But if you’re thinking about 2025 — hey, we’re liking the bad boys… And then from there, what most people need is humility. And [he] took it way down to build to that moment, to the curse.”
According to Dreamer, the payoff line — where McAfee dropped a well-timed F-bomb — elevated the entire promo. “I have heard curse-lated promos [with] no effect. When he hit that one line, which is actually then he drops the F bomb, you have your entire place shocked and reacting to it. The key word was the emphasis and the build to the word.”
Dreamer emphasized that the segment’s effectiveness came not only from McAfee’s delivery, but from his unique ability to blend commentary skills with in-ring storytelling. “It was a masterful promo for… a guy who gets paid to talk and gets paid a lot of money to talk. That promo was money. Got you behind it, and if anybody could defeat GUNTHER in that moment with that promo? It was Pat McAfee.” He concluded that the promo reestablished the classic dynamic wrestling thrives on: “the ultimate good guy versus the ultimate bad guy, which is… wrestling 101.”
In addition to McAfee’s performance, Dreamer applauded the logical structure and realism added by acting RAW General Manager Nick Aldis during the segment. “I loved also the involvement of Nick Aldis, who, at first, really does explain what I think him and Adam Pierce [Pearce] do about the real behind the scenes… where, like, ‘Hey, you’re too much of an asset to have a fight. But if it’s going to be… a match… we will do this. We will do that,’” Dreamer explained.
He continued, “I thought that was excellent for, as we always say? dotting the i’s, crossing the t’s.” Dreamer also called the GM role “thankless” but essential to keeping WWE’s narrative structure believable.
Pat McAfee’s impassioned promo, framed by strong creative direction and a realistic setup, has left a major impression — not just on fans, but on longtime veterans like Dreamer who see it as a potential classic in the making.
Tommy Dreamer Ranks Pat McAfee’s Promo on GUNTHER Among Top 20 of All Time
