New details have surfaced regarding Pat McAfee’s return to WWE, revealing that he originally declined the role before eventually agreeing to be part of the WrestleMania 42 main event storyline.
According to the Wrestling Observer Radio, McAfee was the first choice for celebrity involvement in the program featuring Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. The push reportedly came directly from Ari Emanuel, as part of a broader strategy to include mainstream names in a key WrestleMania angle.
“Pat McAfee was the first choice, and it was from Ari Emanuel, that’s where it came from,” Meltzer reported. “They wanted celebrity involvement……Originally, Pat McAfee was the choice, and he turned it down, and then they were scrambling to get somebody else in the spot. And then obviously, they were able to make a deal with him, so he did it, and he was there.”
McAfee ultimately appeared on the April 3 episode of SmackDown, where he attacked Rhodes and aligned himself with Orton. During the segment, he declared that he and Orton would “save the business,” immediately placing himself at the center of one of WWE’s top storylines heading into WrestleMania.
This update adds further context to earlier reports that the decision to bring McAfee into the angle did not originate from WWE’s creative team. Instead, it was driven at the corporate level, with TKO leadership playing a key role in shaping the direction of the storyline. The situation reportedly caught some within creative off guard and led to internal discussion about the approach.
McAfee’s involvement has also raised the stakes for the WrestleMania main event. He has publicly stated that if Orton fails to defeat Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, he will step away from wrestling television entirely. That stipulation has fueled speculation about the outcome of the match and the possibility of Orton capturing another world title.
With WrestleMania 42 approaching, McAfee’s late agreement to join the storyline highlights how plans at the top level can shift quickly, especially when major crossover names are involved.
Pat McAfee Initially Turned Down WWE WrestleMania 42 Role
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