Recently, PWMania.com reported that Pat McAfee is the individual advising “The Viper” Randy Orton as he gears up for WrestleMania 42.
During Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, McAfee assisted Orton in an attack on the Undisputed WWE Champion, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. He also expressed his frustration that fans from the Attitude Era feel overlooked.
Interestingly, the decision to involve McAfee did not come from WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque or the WWE creative team. Instead, it was created by Ari Emanuel and TKO executives. Emanuel sees McAfee as a significant talent, and sources suggest that there are expectations for him to elevate the storyline and take the feud to the next level.
Furthermore, the report indicated that McAfee’s recent remarks about feeling disconnected from the business were part of the storyline (kayfabe). Additionally, Rhodes’ passionate promo later that night was not originally planned; the negative response to the McAfee segment prompted the creative team to encourage Rhodes to “shoot from the hip.” TKO is optimistic that involving mainstream personalities will draw more attention to WWE and boost ticket sales for WrestleMania 42.
Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer noted that McAfee was TKO’s first choice for celebrity involvement on the way to WrestleMania 42, with the call coming directly from Emanuel. Initially, McAfee turned down the offer, but later accepted the deal.
