Last week on Friday Night SmackDown, Pat McAfee was revealed to be the mystery person Randy Orton has been talking to on the phone. McAfee attacked Cody Rhodes then proceeded to cut a promo as he declared that the Attitude Era fans have been forgotten about, and the business Cody Rhodes is leading has been terrible.
The decision to add Pat McAfee to the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes feud ahead of WrestleMania has received a mixed reaction from wrestling fans on social media, and Dave Meltzer recently noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that McAfee originally turned the idea down.
“Pat McAfee was the first choice and it was from Ari Emanuel. That’s where it came from. They wanted celebrity involvement. Originally, Pat McAfee was the choice, and he turned it down, and then they were scrambling to get somebody else in the spot. Then obviously, they were able to make a deal with him. So, he did it, and he was there.”
He also reiterated that the call to add McAfee to the storyline didn’t come from Triple H, or WWE creative. One person reportedly described it as, “The most counterproductive thing in a long time that the company has done.”
Meltzer also noted that ESPN is expected to push WrestleMania hard in the week leading up to Show of Shows. Pat McAfee is also expected to interview a number of WWE stars on his show ahead of WrestleMania.