Summary

Pat McAfee says there was no script behind his recent WWE SmackDown promo alongside Randy Orton, insisting the segment was real as the WrestleMania 42 build continues.

McAfee was revealed as the mystery person aligned with Orton during the April 3 episode, where he also took aim at Cody Rhodes and argued that Orton should be the man to save the business. That segment has already produced heavy fallout, including mixed backstage reaction within WWE, and McAfee has now leaned even harder into the angle while discussing it on his own show.

McAfee says the SmackDown segment was real

McAfee continued pushing the idea that Orton belongs at the top of WWE and said he was glad to help reinforce that message ahead of WrestleMania 42.

Quote from Pat McAfee

"Let's see how this goes. Let's see what happens. You don't think there are multiple layers to this shit? We don't have a lot of time until Mania. Just a few weeks away from 15 world titles being secured by Randy Orton and the business being saved. I think we got off to good start. 20 years of history between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, and Randy Orton is the greatest. He walks in a room and everybody goes, 'That's what a WWE superstar is. That's what a sports entertainer is.' I'm happy that I got a chance to be in the ear, 'Now is the time to save the business.' Was there ever a script? No. This is real."

What this means for Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes now head toward WrestleMania 42 with McAfee presenting himself as more than a one-night cameo, which keeps extra attention on the feud every time he talks about it publicly. If WWE continues using McAfee this way, Orton's side of the rivalry gets another voice constantly framing him as the answer to Rhodes.

The other important piece is the tone of the storyline. By saying the promo was not scripted, McAfee is trying to make the SmackDown segment feel less like a standard talking point exchange and more like a personal issue inside the Rhodes-Orton program. Whether fans buy that or not, WWE has clearly given this angle room to stay in the conversation beyond the original segment, much like the broader April 3 SmackDown fallout.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.