Summary

WWE closed the April 3 edition of SmackDown with Randy Orton confronting WWE champion Cody Rhodes, then revealing Pat McAfee as the person who had been on the phone with him in recent weeks. McAfee followed the reveal by giving Rhodes a low blow before delivering a promo about why he chose to align himself with Orton.

The reveal paid off a mystery that WWE had been building on television, including Randy Orton teasing that the contact would finally appear in St. Louis. McAfee framed the alliance as a response to what he sees as WWE moving away from the audience and style that helped make the company a powerhouse.

What Pat McAfee joining Randy Orton means for Cody Rhodes

Pat McAfee stepping into Randy Orton's corner gives Cody Rhodes another problem beyond the WrestleMania 42 title match itself, because Orton now has a loud public ally who can escalate the feud outside the ring. That makes the rivalry feel bigger than a standard one-on-one championship program.

McAfee also tied himself directly to Orton's mission statement, which gives WWE a clear way to push this story as a fight over what the company should look like. Whether that becomes a one-night shock angle or a longer piece of Orton's presentation, McAfee is now attached to one of SmackDown's top programs.

Quote from Pat McAfee

"You might wonder why I'm here. Why? I just kicked Cody Rhodes directly in the balls. About a month ago, I was doing a Q&A and I was asked when I was going to return to the WWE, and I said that I thought the business had passed me by. This business that I loved since I was a kid, I could no longer watch. I thought it was absolute sh*t. Randy called me. He said the business did not pass you by. It's just gone in a direction that none of us like.

I thought to myself, who is 'us,' Randy Orton?

He talked about the forgotten WWE fans, the Attitude Era fans. The fans that put the company on their back to launch it into the multibillion-dollar universe that it is now.

Why, when I turn on WWE TV, do I have to watch two 5'5" guys doing a 45-minute Iron Man match ten weeks straight for no rhyme or reason when Randy Orton is around?

Tickets to WrestleMania are still somehow available when Randy Orton is around.

SmackDown, fresh off the worst-rated episode of all time, has a puppet for a champion, a man who represents everything we hate.

What I'm saying is, Cody, I'm the one on the phone telling Randy Orton he needs to kill everything, and it's not just for the 15th world title. It's because the business you are leading is terrible.

He is going to save the f*cking business!"

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.