Pat McAfee Says There Was No Script For Smackdown Promo: ‘Let’s See How This Goes’

Pat McAfee addressed his involvement in the Cody Rhoes and Randy Orton feud on his show today, noting his promo had no script. As you almost certainly know, McAfee was revealed as Orton’s mysterious advisor on Friday’s show as he low blowed Cody Rhodes and cut a promo about how WWE has gotten off on the wrong path and is leaving Attitude Era fans behind, along with stars like Orton. He vowed to help Orton win the Undisputed WWE Championship and “save” the wrestling business.

The insertion of McAfee into the feud, reportedly at the direction of Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel, has drawn pushback from fans. McAfee spoke about the segment on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, noting that there are “multiple layers” and that there was no script to the segment.

“Let’s see how this goes,” McAfee said (per Fightful). “Let’s see what happens. You don’t think there are multiple layers to this s**t? We don’t have a lot of time until Mania. Just a few weeks away from 15 world titles being secured by Randy Orton and the business being saved.”

He continued, “I think we got off to good start. 20 years of history between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, and Randy Orton is the greatest. He walks in a room and everybody goes, ‘That’s what a WWE superstar is. That’s what a sports entertainer is.’ I’m happy that I got a chance to be in the ear, ‘Now is the time to save the business.’ Was there ever a script? No. This is real.”

Rhodes will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Orton at WrestleMania 42, which takes place on April 18th and 19th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will air live on ESPN Unlimited in the US and on Netflix internationally.