The identity of Randy Orton’s mystery caller was revealed on WWE SmackDown, and fans are not happy about it.
Cody Rhodes appeared in the ring and was soon joined by Orton and on-and-off WWE commentator Pat McAfee. But instead of hyping him up as he normally would, McAfee does this unthinkable: he low blows the champion. It certainly sends a statement ahead of WrestleMania 42, but maybe not the right one in the eyes of the fans.
Instead of leaning into the near two-decade long history between the two men from their wrestling heritage to their time as teammates in Legacy, there’s so much story that WWE could lean on. However, the match has become muddied by the inclusion of a celebrity. It’s obvious they learned nothing from the Travis Scott fiasco. Jelly Roll took up so much television time last week, and now McAfee is aligning with Orton. According to McAfee, he’s there to “remind” Orton that he’s the greatest wrestler of all time.
“How about that, Marks? Never back on any wrestling television if Randy Orton loses at WrestleMania. I don’t know how long the business will last if that happens, but I will never come back,” McAfee said in a video uploaded to X. “I am here on a mission to motivate a six-foot-five, 270, 280-pound monster to lead the WWE. My friend, the legend killer, the GOAT, Randy Orton. Tickets available now. Most important match in the history of this business happens in Las Vegas, Nevada. Come watch it live.”
Clearly, WWE is doing everything in its power to put people in seats, but these developments are only making fans more frustrated with the product. According to Bodyslam+, the decision allegedly wasn’t made by Triple H or WWE Creative, but by the head of TKO, Ari Emanuel.
WWE Fans voice their frustrations
The backlash has been so severe that the segment uploaded to YouTube has crossed over 50,000 dislikes in less than 12 hours of this writing.
“Pat McAfee being the mystery caller is one of the worst reveals I have ever seen in the history of professional wrestling,” one X user wrote. “I can’t believe it, there’s gotta be some catch.”
“Two decades of history between Randy and Cody. WrestleMania main event is happening,” wrote another. “The focus is on Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee. Get the entire creative team out of here.”
Although there are a record number of women’s matches at WrestleMania this year, none of them will main event.
“Pat Mcafee and Jelly Roll are gonna be involved in the main event of wrestlemania but the women still can’t get that spot,” a fan said.
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