Pat McAfee reportedly backed out of his WWE WrestleMania 42 storyline.
Pat McAfee’s inclusion in the Undisputed WWE Championship storyline for WrestleMania 42 received extreme criticism from fans. However, the promotion proceeded with the angle, which had a confusing end when Randy Orton turned on McAfee during the final moments of the match at the PLE.
Dave Meltzer had earlier reported that WWE was planning for Randy Orton and Pat McAfee to take on Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll at the Backlash PLE next month. However, on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, he and Bryan Alvarez reported that the promotion has scrapped the plans, noting that it came after McAfee opted out of the angle. McAfee had promised he would officially leave the pro wrestling industry if Orton lost at the event. He then confirmed later that he stuck to his word.
“With the Pat McAfee thing, he opted out, so that’s what actually led to everything changing,” Meltzer said.
“That’s why the tag match from Backlash was taken off. Orton and McAfee against Jelly Roll and Cody Rhodes, which Cody Rhodes may not be okay for Backlash anyway, you know with that eye.”
Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll were aware of the fan backlash
Speaking on his YouTube vlog on Wednesday, Jelly Roll sent a direct message to Pat McAfee, saying they didn’t have any business in a wrestling ring and that it was time for them to go back to what they’re good at.
Speaking further, Dave Meltzer noted that both Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee were aware of the criticism surrounding celebrity involvement at WrestleMania 42. He then said that while he doesn’t know the exact reason McAfee pulled out, the belief in WWE is that it was due to the fan reaction.
“They were very cognizant of what has been said about celebrities in wrestling and both of them love wrestling and I think that they realized that there was a lot of negative sentiment about it. And they listened and they understood and I think they saw the fan side of it. And I think that that’s what led to this.
“I was told that the belief was that it was due to the reaction that he pulled out. It wasn’t like anything else,” Meltzer said.
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