Pat McAfee Reveal Was Reportedly Planned for a While

So, just how last-minute was the insertion of Pat McAfee into the Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes feud headed into WrestleMania?

We’ve heard that he was kept hidden on Smackdown, and that his inclusion was an edict from TKO, presumably to boost WrestleMania ticket sales. We’ve also heard that Cody Rhodes resented what seemed like a last-minute insertion into the program, and was told to shoot from the hip in a previously unplanned promo.

Now comes more word from BodySlam+ on the situation that suggests this was not a sudden change after all. Though it was TKO executives that asked for it, sources are saying the plan has been for McAfee to be the mystery person on the other end of Orton’s phone calls since at least Elimination Chamber. His promo was also unscripted, which led to Cody Rhodes’ response being partially unscripted in return.

Dave Meltzer previously noted that the mystery person, who turned out to be McAfee, was a name known at the highest levels but a closely guarded secret. Speculation had it being The Rock, though sources were denying it, with Meltzer even suspecting that the denials might be misdirection.

Now it seems it was Pat McAfee all along.