Randy Orton’s original WWE WrestleMania 42 storyline pitch reportedly didn’t involve Pat McAfee.
Randy Orton’s mystery phone call angle during the build-up to his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania created a lot of interest among fans. However, it had a controversial twist when Pat McAfee revealed himself as the voice behind the calls. Fans complained about McAfee’s inclusion in the storyline, and reports indicated the decision came from TKO’s corporate leadership.
Now, a report from PWInsider.com indicates that the original storyline pitch for Randy Orton’s WrestleMania role back in January included SmackDown’s Aleister Black. The pitch involved Black tormenting Orton, trying to bring back his old Apex Predator version.
The idea is that if Aleister Black succeeded, it would have proved that Randy Orton never changed and was still the same old Apex Predator deep inside. The report noted that Black and Orton would have faced off in WrestleMania 42 weekend, with the latter hesitating to use his punt kick and likely losing the match.
However, Randy Orton would have attacked Cody Rhodes later as a WrestleMania angle, using the punt kick to bring back his old Apex Predator persona, and prove Aleister Black was right all along.
The report notes that it’s unclear how far the pitch progressed through WWE’s creative process. However, echoes of the original pitch appear in what the promotion pulled off with Pat McAfee’s involvement, including Orton bringing back his old persona and punting Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. So at some point, Pat McAfee’s role replaced the pitched version involving Aleister Black.
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