The road to WrestleMania 42 took a surprising and controversial turn on the April 3, 2026, episode of WWE SmackDown. Randy Orton returned to his hometown of St. Louis and came face-to-face with Cody Rhodes. What was supposed to be a heated confrontation segment immediately received negative reaction after the reveal of Pat McAfee as Orton’s mystery caller.
Orton opened the show to a huge hometown reaction. He claimed that Rhodes doesn’t have the killer instinct needed to beat him at WrestleMania. The Viper also mentioned his family at ringside and talked about fighting for his legacy. The WWE Champion then rushed to the ring, and the two started brawling right away.
But just when things were getting intense, everything suddenly changed.
Pat McAfee came in the ring wearing an “RKO Everybody” shirt and hit Rhodes with a low blow. It was shocking for sure.
Now acting as a heel, McAfee cut a long promo. He said he was the voice on the phone guiding Orton and claimed he had been telling him to “destroy everything.” He also criticized WWE itself, questioning why smaller stars get TV time. He reminded everyone of the Attitude Era. McAfee even brought up the low-rated recent episodes and unsold tickets for WrestleMania 42. It was a mix of storyline and real-life comments.
The segment ended with Orton continuing to attack Rhodes, while McAfee said they want to “save the business.”
But even though WWE wanted the segment to be big and dramatic, many fans didn’t like it.
WWE Fans react strongly to Pat McAfee being revealed as Randy Orton’s mystery caller
Some felt that the rivalry between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes was already strong enough and didn’t need extra twists. Many believed Orton vs. Rhodes should have been simple and powerful because of their shared history.
McAfee’s role, especially his comments about ratings and business, was seen as unnecessary by many. One fan even called it “the most embarrassing WWE segment ever,” while others said it felt like a missed opportunity.
McAfee’s involvement emerged as a distraction than a good addition. Some even demanded Oba Femi vs Brock Lesnar to be the main event of WrestleMania instead of Rhodes vs. Orton.
Adding to that, Randy Orton’s earlier words, “wrestling has more than one royal family” completely went to waste. And why did Stephanie McMahon, out of everyone else, have to unexpectedly show up and warn Rhodes on RAW?
With WrestleMania 42 just two weeks away, WWE now has a tricky situation. The segment made a big impact, just not in the way WWE may have wanted.
Read More: Cody Rhodes Reacts To WWE Fans Cheering Randy Orton Despite Recent Attacks
