WWE always likes to play the mystery card. This can include an attack; influencer or caller. It's used to add intrigue and excitement. On most occasions, it's a shocking revelation while others are obvious and foreseen.
The latest 'edition' saw a mystery caller influencing Randy Orton to turn heel and attack his fellow WrestleMania 42 opponent, Cody Rhodes. The identity of the caller was limitless. The popular choices were The Rock and Vince McMahon.
All that build up led to last night's (3 April) episode of SmackDown reveal. The caller was (drumroll please)...Pat McAfee! This hasn't been well received among the fans.
"Friday Night SmackDown" opened up with a confrontation between WWE champion, Cody Rhodes and his opponent at WrestleMania 42, former mentor, Randy Orton, with the two coming to blows. Yet, as Rhodes was getting the upper hand, McAfee sauntered into the ring, surprising a stunned Rhodes by kicking him underneath the belt.
McAfee then went on a rant on the microphone as Orton continued beating up Rhodes, talking about how "bad" the current WWE product was and how he wanted to return to the days when Orton was terrorising the company as its greatest villain.
A month earlier, McAfee had said in an interview that the "business had passed him by," suggesting he wouldn't return as a commentator in the near future. The former NFL punter brought up that quote in his Friday tirade, stating that "SmackDown" recently had its lowest rating in show history under the Rhodes era.
McAfee and Orton left a beaten-up Rhodes in the middle of the ring and then departed in a truck, marking a new partnership between the veteran "Viper" and the talk show host.
Later in the night, Cody responded, saying that McAfee being the mystery man was on the level of Disco Inferno being the third man in the NWO and expressing his unhappiness with those up top who brought McAfee in.
According to PWInsider, Rhodes’ promo was not listed internally in the rundow and "There is a belief among some that some of Rhodes’ comments were him shooting about TKO having inserted McAfee into the storyline."
Bodyslam+ reports, "Rhodes and other members of the creative team have legitimate gripes with TKO for sticking their nose in storylines close to WrestleMania multiple years in a row."
Although it gained a ton of attention online, it wasn’t of the positive kind, with some saying it was one of the worst segments leading into a WrestleMania ever produced.
Regardless of fan backlash, it’s too late to change the story now, as we are only two weeks away from the biggest weekend of the year for WWE.
However, the bigger story may be happening behind the scenes. According to multiple reports, the decision to bring McAfee into the Rhodes vs Orton feud didn't originate from WWE’s creative team.
The decision to insert Pat McAfee into the Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes storyline came from TKO leadership, specifically CEO, Ari Emanuel, according to sources cited by PWInsider and BodySlam. The directive was then approved by Triple H rather than originating from the WWE creative team.'
PWInsider reported that there is a strong belief within WWE that this wasn't a call from Chief Content Officer, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, or the creative room. Instead, it came directly from Ari Emanuel and TKO brass, with Triple H signing off on the decision after it was made above his level.
Ari Emanuel believes Pat McAfee is a star who will help elevate the Orton-Rhodes program between his ESPN show and weekly SmackDown episodes before WrestleMania, according to BodySlam’s report. The decision appears to be part of TKO’s strategy to use mainstream names to boost viewership and ticket sales.
WrestleMania 42 ticket sales have been slower than expected. As of April 1, just over 38 000 tickets had been sold for Night One and roughly 40 000 for Night Two, both well behind last year’s figures at Allegiant Stadium.
McAfee’s recent comments about the wrestling business having passed him by were reportedly kayfabe, with his return being planned for weeks as part of TKO’s push to bring celebrity involvement into major storylines.
Pat McAfee has made a bold promise to wrestling fans. In a post on X, McAfee wrote: "I will make a deal with the IWC [Internet Wrestling Community] now.. If @RandyOrton doesn’t win at Mania.. I will NEVER be seen OR HEARD on wrestling television AGAIN."
This must be one of the stupidest reveals in WWE history. They had a genuine chance to do a genius move. Someone definitely needs to wake up and realise that star power doesn't automatically equal higher ratings and/or ticket sales.
I have to agree with what Cody Rhodes said in the aftermath of the attack. Pat McAfee isn't exactly a big name in wrestling. He's hardly a part-timer with the amount of time he spends in the industry. He's more of a stop-start character.
I was massively disappointed with the choice. I believe TKO and WWE can save their skins for an even bigger reveal at "The Showcase of the Immortals."