Tag: Cody Rhodes

WWE fan backlash altered creative plans before, so is Pat McAfee next? | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Pat McAfee’s involvement in Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes’ feud for WWE WrestleMania 42 has stirred much debate among fans and the wider wrestling community.

His sudden addition to the storyline and siding with Orton has questioned narrative relevance. Fans and wrestlers alike have expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. However, WWE is yet to proceed in the creative direction amid growing concerns. 

This isn’t the first time fans have pushed back on creative decisions or forced WWE to alter the direction of feuds. Over the years, several moments have provoked protests from fans, both online and at arenas.

Here’s a few notable instances when it happened: 

Daniel Bryan’s ‘Yes Movement’ implodes in 2014 

In 2013 to 2014, Bryan had become a fan favorite. Arenas erupted with ‘Yes’ chants every time he appeared. 

So, it came as no surprise when his absence from the 2014 Royal Rumble sparked an uproar. When Rey Mysterio entered as the 30th entrant, the crowd reacted with heavy boos despite him being a face. 

It became worse when Batista won the Rumble to secure his spot at WrestleMania XXX against Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, the backlash was so severe that it forced WWE to add Bryan into the fold. 

Bryan was then given the ultimate hero’s challenge to earn his spot in the WrestleMania main event. He had to defeat Triple H earlier in the night with the stipulation that if he lost, he would not be added to the main event. Bryan not only defeated Triple H, but also won the WWE World Title later that night. 

CM Punk chants taking over arenas after WWE walkout 

CM Punk’s 2014 departure triggered one of the most ruthless crowd protests in WWE history. 

While 2014 seemed to peak with fans unhappiness on WWE’s creative booking surrounding Bryan, Punk’s exit worsened it — although his situation intensified the overall sentiment among fans. 

Punk walked out of WWE in January 2014 due to creative differences and lack of respect among other reasons. A few months later in June, he was fired by WWE on his wedding day.

The dissatisfaction of his absence in the ring led arenas to chant for Punk at almost every WWE event for years. Even if major stars were featured on the card or competing in the ring, his name would still be heard from the crowd.  

Punk was viewed as a representative of the fanbase. His departure sparked a rare moment in wrestling history which created sustained pressure on how deeply audiences were invested in his presence. 

Punk eventually returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023 to a thunderous reaction at the Allstate Arena. 

John Cena hatred at ECW One Night Stand 2006  

At ECW One Night Stand, Cena walked into one of the most hostile wrestling crowds in history. 

ECW was revived in 2006 after being purchased by WWE a few years earlier. To promote the merger WWE produced ECW’s second edition of their One Night Stand pay-per-view. But it turned out to be more chaotic as WWE stars were featured on the match card which drew strong negative reactions from hardcore ECW fans. 

The main event featured Rob Van Dam against Cena for his WWE Championship. The reaction was brutal and the atmosphere at Hammerstein Ballroom was intense. The champ walked out to boos, obscene gestures and jeers. 

This event featured the viral ‘If Cena wins, we riot’ poster along with explicit laden chants directed at him.

Edge’s interference in the match did not go in vain. After the referee was knocked out, Paul Heyman took over and counted the pinfall which made RVD the new WWE Champion that night. 

Given that Cena was positioned as WWE’s babyface at the time, this moment remains a notable example of fan reactions determining the crowning of a new champion. 

#WeWantCody taking over social media 

Cody Rhodes won the 2024 Royal Rumble and chose to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania that year to ‘finish his story’.

Despite facing off in the WrestleMania 39 main event, Rhodes was still on a mission – to win the undisputed WWE Championship. 

On the February 2, 2024, edition of SmackDown, The Rock returned and confronted his cousin. For quite a while, it was marked a blockbuster match by many for Rock to battle Reigns at WrestleMania.

The Rock shook hands and embraced Rhodes who gestured for him to proceed in his confrontation indicating that he was stepping down from his Mania match.

Fans were baffled and instantly expressed discontent at the next few events and online. Almost instantly, #WeWantCody began trending worldwide on social media. 

This forced WWE to adjust plans and re-align Rhodes in his coveted spot in the WrestleMania 40 main event. 

It steered the rivalry into Rock and Reigns uniting against Rhodes. And eventually led to Seth Rollins backing Rhodes for having a common enemy in The Bloodline. 

R-Truth’s 2025 Money in the Bank return  

On June 1, 2025, R-Truth announced on social media that he was released from WWE, ending his 17-year association with the company. It instantly received a jarring reaction online and on the following editions of Raw and SmackDown. 

At Money in the Bank, Cena teamed up with Logan Paul against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. During the bout, Paul hit a moonsault on Uso through the announcer’s table while Cena and Rhodes were in the ring. With the referee distracted, Cena grabbed the WWE title belt and hit Rhodes with it. A hooded figure jumped into the ring and attacked Cena and later revealed himself – it was R-Truth. 

Everyone at the Intuit Dome were on their feet, rooting and embracing the return of their beloved star. And it all transpired within a week. 

Later, reports revealed that the overwhelming backlash forced Nick Khan to step in and renegotiate Truth’s WWE contract for a return. 

Final Thoughts

These examples prove the influential role fans play in WWE storytelling. While creative decisions lie in the hands of the promotion, sustained negative reactions and protests can detour the original plans. WWE history has shown a consistent pattern of altering feuds and storylines based on fans pushing back. It also proves that audiences are not just reacting to it but also actively shaping it.

This trend could be reflected in the ongoing discussions on McAfee’s integration in Rhodes and Orton’s WrestleMania 42 clash. The growing retaliation could sway WWE’s creative booking.

Cody Rhodes: There’s ‘a lot of sincerity’ to WWE WrestleMania 42 main events

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes sees a common theme among the two WWE WrestleMania main events this year.

Taking place this weekend, WrestleMania 42 will be headlined by Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns. Both bouts have been built around long-standing personal issues. With that — and the recent addition of Pat McAfee to the Rhodes vs. Orton rivalry — Rhodes believes that it’s easy for viewers to suspend their disbelief and buy into what they’re seeing on screen.

“When wrestling is done right, the best thing ever is when you can just have a little bit of doubt on, ‘Oh, seems like those guys do hate each other.’ And we have a lot of that in both main events this year,” Rhodes said on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “There’s a lot of sincerity to the suspension of disbelief.”

The history between Rhodes and Orton dates back nearly 20 years to when they were members of The Legacy together. Given that, a lot of fans have been disappointed about McAfee’s involvement, feeling that it’s unnecessary to the story. Rhodes leaned into that sentiment on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, comparing McAfee’s inclusion to the popular meme where a clown is trying to blend in among a group of soldiers.

“Randy Orton, who I’m wrestling at WrestleMania, we have almost two decades of history. He was my mentor,” Rhodes said. “We were on screen together as part of his group Legacy. He had my dad’s last match. My first match in the company was against Randy. There is a lot of rich story material.

“And then we inserted Pat McAfee. We are literally in that part right there. So your question is everybody else’s question. You know the troops all outside and there is that clown? I’m not saying he’s the clown. It’s just an interesting fit. And we’re going to see where it goes.”

Rhodes did say that he believes McAfee is a serious person and not a clown. He just wishes the people around McAfee would say “no” to him more often — including telling him that it’s a bad idea to get involved in the main event of WrestleMania.

McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday. If Orton loses, McAfee has promised to leave the wrestling industry forever.

Cody Rhodes thinks WWE NXT is ‘a lot healthier’ than old system

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes believes WWE’s developmental system has changed for the better since he was coming up in the industry.

Appearing on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast ahead of WrestleMania, Rhodes spoke about the changes WWE has made to how the company trains wrestlers. Rhodes personally liked the old-school system he experienced where trainees were more left to their own devices, but he thinks NXT is a much healthier environment to get new wrestlers ready to compete.

“Today, they’ve got it all mapped out really well. They’ve got exactly what you mentioned. They’ve got agility. They’ve got multiple rings, including one that has an extra layer of pad and bounce if you’re going to try big high spots,” Rhodes said. “They’ve got Shawn Michaels. Again, we’re talking about probably the greatest in the ring ever. So that’s your head coach. How could you not be good?

“The system they have down there with the Performance Center now is designed for the NIL athlete because they’re used to it. ‘I came from baseball, I came from football, I came from gymnastics.’ So they need all that. They need a room that’s a recovery suite. They need a full-blown weight room, which they have. They need all that.

“When I came up, you were just doing it yourself, which I liked because you found like-minded people. I remember my whole class of coming up from OVW, but the system now, it’s a lot healthier. A lot healthier to get everybody ready.”

Rhodes added that the introduction of WWE’s wellness policy in 2007 has also led to a change where overall athleticism is more of a focus than just having the biggest physique.

When he started his WWE career in 2006, Rhodes trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling before coming to TV. He’s now on his second stint with the company and his third WWE Championship reign. The main event of WrestleMania 42 night one this Saturday will see Rhodes defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.

Triple H addresses WWE physiques: ‘Variety makes everything better’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

In WWE, a wrestler’s in-ring ability outweighs the importance of physique adhering to a standard mold. 

Paul “Triple H” Levesque believes wrestling should showcase a variety of physiques, emphasizing that ultimately the performer’s in-ring capabilities matter the most. Speaking with Cody Rhodes on “What Do You Wanna Talk About?”, he expressed, using examples from the past on the mix of different body types rather than a single ideal look. 

“I feel like it’s mixed, depending on who you are as a performer, and what you’re bringing to the table. Would Brock Lesnar be as frightening if he didn’t look like Brock Lesnar? But I don’t think you have to have it, I don’t think it has to, I’m a bigger believer in the variety of things. There needs to be some semblance of believability to what we do, right? But I don’t think that means you have to be a bodybuilder, I don’t think it means you have to be lean where you can see your abs. I think that works for some folks, but there’s also room for the Gunther’s.”

“I’d love to see the Kamala shape and size. There’s something for everybody across what we do. You know I talk about history a lot cause we’re both history buffs in the business and stuff but Abdullah the Butcher, Kamala, people like that were just as frightening to me as the Road Warriors were, or anybody else who was jacked up and on a different level.”

“So, I’m a big believer that variety makes everything better. When you get fed one thing for a while, after a while you get tired of eating the same thing, so you want that variety.”

Levesque took over as Chief Content Officer in September 2022. In the interview, he explained taking over WWE creative was a gradual process and not an instant transition. 

Triple H knew there was no ‘serious malice’ in Cody Rhodes AEW throne smash

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Paul “Triple H” Levesque joining Cody Rhodes on his podcast this week, there was one topic in particular that the two had to address.

There was a moment at AEW’s inaugural show in 2019 where Rhodes, while making his entrance, took a sledgehammer and smashed a throne that was clearly supposed to look like Levesque’s. They cleared the air on “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” with Levesque saying he knew there was no serious malice in what Rhodes did. Instead of viewing it as a shot, Levesque saw it as Rhodes trying to make a name for himself by doing cool stuff.

Levesque and Rhodes’ conversation about the moment is transcribed below:

Rhodes: You never once, when I came back, asked me about clearly taking your throne, making it imagery in my entrance away from here, starting my own thing, and taking your hammer to it.

Levesque: I saw it as your hammer because it was smaller than mine [laughs]. No, look, that kind of sh*t to me is like, I remember when people brought it to me and were showing it to me and I was like, ‘F**k yeah, all right, good for him.’ You know what I mean? That’s the kind of sh*t you do, you’re trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to get out there, you’re trying to do some cool sh*t, trying to do some different stuff.

Believe me, if I would have thought there was malice in it, and maybe indirectly there was some at the time, I don’t know. But if I would have thought there was any serious malice in it, I would have called you and said, ‘Hey, dude, like, are we okay?’ Because I was so close to your dad, but then I always felt like a connection to you. And when you were here, and it was difficult for me when you left, because I couldn’t say like, I couldn’t over the top go like, ‘Dude, get the f**k out of here and go out there and make a name for yourself and make yourself, what you said, desirable and we’ll f**ing come chasing after you and bring you back.’ Sometimes you got to get out of the rut you’re in. You just got to bite it off and go in a different direction. Make the left turn, right? And it was so difficult, but during that time, I remember thinking like, all right, that’s getting out there. That’s being bold and making a statement.

Rhodes: You did tell me, because you said, ‘Go rattle the cages.’ And you kind of made yourself the target for me to rattle in terms of the optics of wrestling. And there was no malice for sure because this is after I won the Ring of Honor title. One of the first texts I got back to was yours: ‘Congrats.’ As I was walking to the hospital in Lowell because my lip was busted open holding my first World title.

Levesque: You know, it’s one of those things where you see somebody going off, doing their own thing, and having success. And I’m like, ‘F**k yeah, Cody. Come on.’ Like, get yourself in that spot where we’re like, ‘Hey, we should go like, I don’t know what he did different, but let’s go get him.’ You know what I mean?

Rhodes: I’m glad the feeling is good on it versus — because I’m thinking, man, if he’s mad about it, it’s a long road to whatever the payoff is.

Levesque: He’s waiting on that receipt [laughs].

Rhodes: Oh, now it’s happening [laughs].

Levesque: No, man, I never even — I never thought about anything other than, ‘F**k yeah, good for him. Go get it.’

After departing AEW in 2022, Rhodes returned to WWE and has been one of the company’s top stars since. Levesque said it’s been a “dream” to work with Rhodes in his second run.

Rhodes is currently on his third Undisputed WWE Championship reign and will defend the title against Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania 42 night one on April 18.

How Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 has been built for 18 years but somehow still feels rushed | Column

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 should’ve been the easiest match to build to on the entire card. Rhodes joined the Legacy faction in December 2008 and he has at least in part been linked with the 14-time World Champion kind of ever since. It’s student has become the master level stuff, but somehow WWE (and TKO) have managed to make this natural slow build turn into a convoluted mess just weeks before ‘Mania takes place in Las Vegas. How, HOW do you manage that? It’s almost impressive levels of neglect when it comes to creative.

Rhodes vs Orton – Legacy vs Legacy

We all know the story of why Cody decided to leave WWE in 2016 during his run as Stardust. Rhodes managed to build himself outside of the company on the indies, New Japan, ROH and of course, All Elite Wrestling. Orton however was a made man in the company from the early to mid-2000s and he has stuck around since.

It’s two completely different trajectories from a second and third-wave generation of performers that are now meeting for the biggest prize in the game at the biggest event of the year. The story writes itself, yet WWE creative has insisted on trying to rewrite that story with twists and turns they did. not. need.

Cody Rhodes wins the WWE Championship

One of the big issues with this build towards Cody vs Randy is how much it has affected another star on SmackDown, namely Drew McIntyre. The Scottish former WWE Champion has never really had the full backing from the back office; he’s used as a guy that faces “the guy” (see CM Punk, Roman Reigns et al) or as a placeholder until something better comes along.

Orton vs Rhodes appeared to be that “something better” in the company’s eyes, but Rhodes winning the WWE Championship and bringing that into this feud just felt extremely forced and (pardon the pun) outta nowhere. American Nightmare vs The Viper did not need the WWE Championship, except the poor ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 thus far prompted the company to hit the panic button and put both Cody and Roman Reigns back in the main event in some fashion across Night 1 and Night 2.

WWE or TKO isn’t seeing the problem

WrestleMania isn’t selling out tickets because they cost too much. Yes you can look at the card and say it’s not exactly stacked, but ‘Mania shows have often sold a decent amount of allocation before even the Rumble has taken place and we know the main feuds heading into the grandaddy of them all. Hell, I bought WrestleMania 29 tickets in November the year prior (what an excellent life decision that was) and watched in genuine pain as I realised we were getting Twice in a Lifetime.

I paid $150 dollars for that ticket, which wasn’t exactly close to the ring but it was close enough that I could see what was actually going on. That price now will either get you full on nosebleeds or a half decent seat at the Hall of Fame. Oh, and that’s just for one night, you’ll be paying double that if you want to see everything that weekend.

Last Minute “Saves” don’t work here

TKO (meaning UFC), has been a business that can “save” a PPV event in the dying embers by adding a fight that fans genuinely want to see. Although a natural storyline can massively add to the allure of a fight card (think McGregor vs Khabib or Jones vs Cormier), if you can add a big name at the last second then sometimes it can feel like it has saved the entire night. Pro Wrestling, however, is not the same as combat sports, because as fans we treat the build to an event as part of the enjoyment of the match that is then presented to us.

Shoehorning Pat McAfee will not sell more tickets to the show, at least not in a big or meaningful way. There was a natural story to tell here, and instead of just letting it happen, TKO decided that they needed to throw everything at the wall because it worked for Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor or Anderson Silva vs. Daniel Cormier. Forget saying this isn’t ballet (which is a dumb phrase btw)…this isn’t MMA.

So what has happened here is WWE dropping years and years of natural build because they wanted to try and sell far-too-expensive tickets. They could get away with it last year when it was billed as John Cena’s last ever WrestleMania match, but there’s nothing on that level to get away with exceedingly expensive tickets in 2026. Making the focal point of a Cody vs Randy an NFL kicker turned commentator turned part-time wrestler won’t fix anything.

Adding “and this and this and this” to a natural storyline has made it rushed over the past few weeks:

  • Cody beats Drew for the title after Randy wins at Elimination Chamber
  • Randy turns Heel
  • Randy reveals he was on the phone with Pat McAfee this whole time
  • Cody compares the reveal that same night to Disco Inferno being the nWo third man.

That’s all since March 6th. That’s 4 major twists in a storyline in a month and we’ve still got a week or two left. Didn’t need it. Didn’t want it. Who is this even for?

Bishop Dyer: Pat McAfee should not be part of WrestleMania main event

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Bishop Dyer has worked with Pat McAfee in both pro football and pro wrestling. But even though they’re good friends, Dyer is not a fan of McAfee’s involvement in the main event of WrestleMania.

Dyer spoke about McAfee’s involvement with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in an interview with Denise Salcedo.

“Pat’s a weird anomaly because he’s not a celebrity to the full extent, he’s not a wrestler, he’s kind of just that guy that is in between and has his finger in everything whether it be comedy, entertainment, sports, wrestling, all that,” Dyer said. “It’s not like Travis Scott all over again that ruined the main event.”

Still, Dyer would prefer the Mania build had remained focused on the two men in the match.

“I’m bummed out a little bit with the story that is being told between Cody and Randy because I think with the history that they have and Randy being the mentor and Randy having him throw Cody out and throwing his brother out of the Royal Rumble, that’s the story we need to be telling,” he said. “Why do we have this anonymous phone call and it turns out to be McAfee?”

“To me, the purest form of wrestling should be the main event of WrestleMania, that should be a one-on-one competition down the line except for a heel trying to take some shortcuts or whatever,” Dyer added. “That’s the thing to me that shouldn’t be touched.”

Dyer closed with a clear statement: “If you’re going to get Pat involved, get him involved in something else, you know? Not the main event of WrestleMania.”

Dyer was McAfee’s roommate when the two were playing for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. McAfee also defeated Dyer (then known as Happy Corbin) at WWE’s SummerSlam in 2022.

Corbin also had matches against both Orton and Rhodes in WWE.

Pat McAfee was first choice for WWE WrestleMania 42 angle, more details emerge as to why

Posted on by Josh Nason

While some fans weren’t thrilled with the reveal of Pat McAfee as the mystery confidante to Randy Orton on this past Friday’s WWE SmackDown, there is some new information out Monday as how it came together and why.

On Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that the ESPN sports talk host and occasional WWE broadcaster was “the first choice” for the spot and that it came directly from TKO head and McAfee agent Ari Emanuel. However, McAfee turned down the offer at first.

“That’s where it came from. They wanted celebrity involvement. Originally from what I was told, Pat McAfee was the choice and he turned it down. Then, they were scrambling to get somebody else in the spot, and then, obviously, they were able to make a deal with him. So he did it and he was there,” Meltzer said.

That follows reporting from both PWInsider and Fightful that said Emanuel was involved and that the deal was done for “corporate synergy” purposes between WWE and ESPN.

McAfee attacked Cody Rhodes on Friday’s SmackDown during a segment with Orton, then cutting a promo in which he referenced a record-low SmackDown rating (apparently talking about Cagematch data), that WrestleMania 42 still had tickets left, and that he and Orton were going to save the wrestling business.

“This was not a WWE creative move. This was not a Paul Levesque move. It came over their heads and there’s a lot of people not happy about it at all. One person told me it was the single most counterproductive thing the company has done in a long time, but there you go,” Meltzer said.

As referenced earlier, McAfee’s show is on ESPN, the same network which will air next weekend’s WrestleMania 42 as part of their domestic premium live event contract. McAfee is expected to be a major promotional hub for the PLE, raising questions as to how he will handle his heel persona when he is doing interviews.

McAfee said after Friday night’s show that is Orton didn’t win the WWE title from Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, he will never be seen in WWE ever again.

Report: Pat McAfee’s WWE return tied to corporate synergy

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A recent report has emerged on Pat McAfee’s return to WWE SmackDown.

The latest episode on Friday, April 3, SmackDown saw McAfee make his surprising return as Randy Orton’s mystery phone call friend and aid him in attacking Cody Rhodes. However, the segment was extremely poorly received and helped SmackDown record one of its lowest-ranked episodes in the show’s history, per Cagematch.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that McAfee’s return was an effort to boost interest in the show and for “corporate synergy” between WWE and ESPN. The report further noted that there were several people who were not in favor of the direction of the “this place sucks” angle of the promo, and felt that those rarely work in pro wrestling.

Fightful Select also claimed that the internal reaction to the return was mixed, and WWE was well aware of the online reaction. Some internally suggested that the reaction was “heat,” others claimed that it was not the kind of “heat” the promotion needed.

Previously, Wrestlevotes had reported that McAfee was set to return soon, although the former NFL punter denied those rumors. WWE sources informed Fightful Select that “McAfee is also figured into upcoming WWE programming through WrestleMania.”

Moments after McAfee’s return, PWInsider reported that McAfee’s comeback was an Ari Emanuel call. Emanuel has been very high on McAfee as well as the entertainment space. This created the notion that Triple H was no longer leading the creative team. However, such is not the case, and the Hall of Famer is still leading the “week-to-week creative and the vast majority of the program.”

Later, Bodyslam also reported that Rhodes’ promo that happened later in the evening was instructed to be a shoot one and “from the hip.”

WOL: Pat McAfee hates WWE so much he wants to save it

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

Pat McAfee being Randy Orton’s “mystery caller” on WWE SmackDown has elicited two opinions from the fans: 1) It was the worst SmackDown ever or 2) Why can’t you just enjoy things? Nobody hates wrestling more than wrestling fans!

We’ll talk about why McAfee was the choice and who made the decision. We’ll also touch on Trick, Melo, Danhausen and the rest of the show as well.

Plus, a big surprise at Sakura Genesis, Billy Jack Haynes news, RIP “Flying” Fred Curry, NXT Stand & Deliver, and that’s not close mto all of it.

Right Click Save As (sub needed)

Report: Cody Rhodes told to ‘shoot from the hip’ on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ian Carey

Updates are available on the promo that Cody Rhodes delivered on WWE SmackDown on Friday.

Following the opening angle that saw Pat McAfee revealed as the person Randy Orton had been speaking to on the phone, Rhodes returned to the ring and cut a promo before the main event. During the segment, he compared the earlier angle to if Disco Inferno had been the NWO’s third man.

On Saturday, PWInsider wrote that Rhodes’ promo responding to the opening angle was not listed on the planned rundown for the show, and that there is belief some of Rhodes’ comments reflected his real thoughts on TKO inserting McAfee into the storyline.

Bodyslam+ similarly reported that Rhodes was instructed to go to the ring and “shoot from the hip” regarding McAfee’s involvement, also noting that the promo was not listed on the planned rundown. The report added that both Rhodes and members of the WWE creative team have “legitimate gripes” with TKO for “sticking their nose in storylines close to WrestleMania” multiple years in a row.

Following the angle on Friday night, Dave Meltzer responded to a user on X, saying that McAfee’s insertion into the storyline was an Ari Emanuel call.

The Pat McAfee heel turn wanted to be Attitude Era WWE, but it was WCW 2000 | Column

Posted on by Jake Skudder

Pat McAfee was revealed as the mystery caller on the line with Randy Orton on this week’s SmackDown. McAfee, the former NFL punter turned media personality who built genuine (some) goodwill during his run as a WWE commentator, has been inserted into the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton main event picture for WrestleMania 42. While the reveal tried to bring some mainstream buzz to Night One’s main event, it just ended up feeling like the dying embers of WCW in the year 2000.

People overuse the phrase “WCW 2000” as a derogatory term, but I LITERALLY mean it here. Confusing heel turns out of nowhere, breaking kayfabe, talking about terrible TV ratings…it was seriously just missing a “that wasn’t in the script!” line. I felt like I was launched back a quarter-century to when WCW Nitro was desperately trying to be cutting-edge and fourth-wall-breaking. It didn’t work then, and it certainly doesn’t work now.

Steve Austin flipping off his boss in the Attitude Era worked because the story underneath it was (pretty much) airtight. The chaos felt real because the structure holding it together was invisible. When it worked, the outrageousness meant something. WWF in the late 90s was the product of slow build, earned heat and a crowd that had been taken on a journey. That’s the version of this that the McAfee moment wanted to be. Instead, it’s the other version…so all the noise and none of the architecture heat.

WCW 2000 angle on WWE SmackDown

I am by no means saying that WWE is going to die out like the ill-fated World Championship Wrestling, but WCW’s death spiral was a masterclass in what happens when you confuse chaos with creativity. Vince Russo was booking swerves upon swerves until the swerve was the product. WCW in 2000 was a company so consumed with being edgy and unpredictable that it forgot to be good, and isn’t that exactly what’s happening right now? Adding a former NFL punter to a Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton story nearly 20 years in the making? That feud has history, texture, and genuine emotional weight. McAfee’s involvement doesn’t add anything to that story.

Why the Pat McAfee heel turn?

So why is McAfee here at all? The answer is straightforward. Randy Orton was getting cheered by fans after his heel turn on Cody Rhodes. There’s no other reason to put McAfee in there. WWE is desperately trying to get the live audience to boo Orton and cheer Rhodes ahead of another big WrestleMania match for the American Nightmare.

But as we saw during John Cena’s final run, where no crowd in the world was going to jeer one of the greatest careers in WWE history on its way out the door, people are simply not willing to boo Randy Orton in 2026. Bringing back the 2009 Viper version of him was never going to fix that. If anything, it made everything worse because fans want to see that side of him again. It’s pure nostalgia, and no one wants to boo good nostalgia. The fact that WWE pulled the trigger on the heel turn without accounting for that is genuinely baffling.

I’ll leave you with this, and tell me if you notice anything familiar. WCW 2000 wasn’t failing because people weren’t swinging for the fences or trying to outdo the competition. They were swinging constantly. The problem was that every swing was completely disconnected from the last one. There was no through-line, no earned heat, no real stakes. The “shocking” moments felt shocking only in the sense that you couldn’t believe anyone had actually signed off on them. Not in a fun way, but in a who-thought-this-was-a-good-idea way.

Cody Rhodes compares Pat McAfee to Disco Inferno on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Cody Rhodes has vowed revenge on Pat McAfee, who suddenly has become the focus of a WrestleMania main event.

McAfee had opened SmackDown by returning to WWE and giving Rhodes a low blow, revealing himself as the mystery man who had been on the phone with Randy Orton in recent weeks.

Rhodes returned to the ring shortly before the main event, laying out Kit Wilson with a crossroads and cutting a fiery promo.

“We got all dressed up in St. Louis tonight to find out who Randy Orton was talking to on the phone,” Rhodes said. “And color me surprised, it was Pat McAfee. That’s like if Scott Hall and Kevin Nash talked about the third man in the NWO, and instead of Hulk Hogan, it was Disco Inferno.”

This week marks the eight-year anniversary of Rhodes’ burial of Inferno on social media. “Stop,” he wrote to Inferno in 2018. “You know nothing. You have drawn 0 dollars. No fan has ever left a show thinking about you. You were lucky to be a juiced up double-lifer ‘over with the boys’ type in an era where you hid in plain sight coasting on others’ success. Couldn’t hang then, can’t get booked now.”

Rhodes continued to insult McAfee as Orton’s hometown crowd booed him. “Pat, you stoner, grifter, Logan Paul without muscles, human hat rack, fly by night, you’re gonna get your receipt,” he said. “And boy I felt it. And I should have, you’re a former NFL punter. But Pat, you and everyone who represents you, and I know who I’m talking to, can kiss my ass.”

Rhodes then referred to his six-year absence from WWE. “Oh no, is that too far?” he asked. “What are you going to do, fire me? It sure worked out for you the last time.”

Rhodes closed his promo by addressing Orton—who, in case you had forgotten, will be his opponent at WrestleMania. “It’s as simple as this,” he said. “It’s a wrestling match with 20 years of history, with the two very best wrestlers to do it. And I am hearing it, I am. I am hearing those voices inside my head, finally. But you don’t want to here what they have to say.”

Rhodes was largely booed by the crowd in Orton’s home town of St. Louis.

WWE’s Jacob Fatu reflects on missed opportunities

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Jacob Fatu missed the last four months of 2025 after undergoing dental surgery. Now while he’s trying to move forward, he’s also looking back on what might have been.

Fatu discussed his situation in an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports. “I probably missed out on a lot of opportunities, but it is what it is,” he said. “They say in this business, ‘Things happen, and the show must go on.’ I missed out, but what was I going to do? I couldn’t sit there and dwell. No, none of that.”

Fatu’s last TV match before his surgery was a victory in a trios match, teaming with Jey Uso & Sami Zayn to defeat Solo Sikoa & JC Mateo & Tonga Loa on SmackDown last August. He wrestled several dark matches in August and September, but then was written off TV after being allegedly attacked backstage.

The “attack” came just before Fatu was to wrestle Drew McIntyre, with the winner going on to challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Instead, he vanished for months, returning in January to get involved in a cage match between McIntyre and Rhodes, a match in which McIntyre won the title.

As for Fatu, he’s now set to wrestle McIntyre at WrestleMania.

“It’s where I’m supposed to be. It’s the best fit right now,” Fatu said. “I’m not with regular people. These are not regular people. These are names that have done huge things in WWE. Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. It’s not overwhelming, but there’s a fan side of me sometimes, a little bit, that feels like, ‘Damn, I’m really here. Tapping in with them.’ It’ll be a good outlet.”

Cody Rhodes admits getting tired of wrestling the same guys

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes has shared his thoughts on wrestling the same opponents in WWE.

Speaking on the Nikki and Brie show, Rhodes opened up and reflected on his upcoming match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, when he admitted that he was getting “tired of wrestling” the same rivals.

“I hope that doesn’t put a you know, rain on anyone’s parade, but I’m getting tired of wrestling guys,” Rhodes said.

However, as the crowd and The Bella Twins expressed their disapproval of the “wrestling guys” statement, Rhodes proceeded to explain that he now wants new rivals in WWE.

“No, no. You get into these longstanding like rivalries, and you’re just like you’re in there. I mean, me and your husband [Seth Rollins] wrestled four times now. Like, and more than that, really, but like four and I think took a great deal out of each other on the way. I mean, so I don’t know if that’s what I’m looking to do here. As much as I want him [Randy Orton] to see me, that’s the hill in front of me,” Rhodes concluded.

Since Rhodes’ return to WWE in 2022, he has wrestled Rollins a total of 22-times (including televised and live show matches).