PWMania.com previously reported that Pat McAfee was revealed as the mystery person speaking to Randy Orton during his WrestleMania 42 feud with Cody Rhodes. This storyline culminated in McAfee’s appearance on WWE SmackDown, where he delivered a low blow to Rhodes and criticized WWE for neglecting Attitude Era fans, claiming business was down and leaving Orton to “save” the industry.
The decision to include McAfee in this storyline was made by TKO CEO Ari Emanuel. This collaboration had reportedly been planned since at least the Elimination Chamber event. A fan inquired about TKO’s sudden influence on WWE’s creative direction in a recent Fightful Select Answers Q&A, and Sean Ross Sapp offered some clarification.
Sapp noted that TKO is not “running roughshod” over WWE’s creative direction and that Triple H remains in charge of week-to-week storytelling. He also mentioned that this development is not a sudden change; Emanuel played a significant role in getting The Rock involved in last year’s WrestleMania build.
While Emanuel has made “one or two” executive decisions, he is not heavily involved in the creative aspects of most storylines, and ultimately, Triple H still controls the company’s narratives.
