WWE Creative Reportedly Told Cody Rhodes To Take Aim At TKO Following Off Script Pat McAfee Promo
Cody Rhodes’ unplanned promo on WWE SmackDown was a direct response to TKO.
The April 3 edition of Friday Night SmackDown saw the reveal that Pat McAfee was the mystery man who had been advising Randy Orton over the phone throughout his feud with Cody Rhodes, with the former professional football punter attacking the Undisputed WWE Champion to kick off the show.
BodySlam are now reporting that Pat McAfee had been planned as the mystery man since Elimination Chamber season, with the decision reportedly stemming directly from TKO. The report additionally notes that McAfee’s promo went off script, which led to Cody Rhodes later delivering a promo of his own.
“Sources indicate to Bodyslam that McAfee was the plan for the person on the phone since right around Elimination Chamber. The call came directly from TKO executives. Another source noted that McAfee’s promo was completely off script which resulted in Cody Rhodes’ promo later in the show.”
-BodySlam
Following the initial attack, Pat McAfee declared that he had aligned with Randy Orton in order to “save the business”, as he took shots at WWE’s reported inability to sell tickets for WrestleMania 42 among a number of other topics.
BodySlam’s report aligns with a report from PWInsider, who also note that Cody Rhodes’ follow-up promo was not initially listed on Friday Night SmackDown’s internal rundown, with some believing that his comments were aimed towards TKO for their involvement in the storyline.
“The Cody Rhodes promo responding to the attack was not listed internally on the planned rundown for the show. There is a belief among some that some of Rhodes’ comments were him shooting about TKO having inserted McAfee into the storyline.”
-PWInsider
During his response to both Randy Orton and Pat McAfee, Cody Rhodes compared McAfee aligning with Orton to the New World Order revealing Disco Inferno as the third man instead of Hulk Hogan, and pointed out that he and Orton have twenty years of history to draw from.
In an additional report, BodySlam corroborated that Cody Rhodes’ retort was not originally part of the show and added that sources believe his shots towards TKO came from members of WWE creative amid frustration with their increasing involvement in multiple WrestleMania events.
“Sources indicate to Bodyslam that Rhodes was told from members of creative to go to the ring and shoot from the hip regarding Pat McAfee and TKO. Rhodes’ promo was not listed internally on the rundown because it was not scheduled to take place prior to the social media reaction. 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.”
-BodySlam
Cody Rhodes is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 later this month at Allegiant Stadium.
Shortly after the angle aired on television, Pat McAfee took to X to claim that should Randy Orton not leave WrestleMania 42 as Undisputed WWE Champion, he will never be seen or heard on wrestling television ever again.
You can find more on the latest WWE news as we head towards WrestleMania 42 here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Pat McAfee’s heel turn and the backstage response to both his and Cody Rhodes’ promo on SmackDown as soon as we hear more.
