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Randy Orton & Pat McAfee To Team Up At Upcoming WWE PLE

By John Canton • Published Apr 10, 2026 14:30 EDT
Pat McAfee Randy Orton WWE
Pat McAfee Randy Orton WWE - Image via @RandyOrton on X

Randy Orton and Pat McAfee are expected to be a tag team at a future WWE Premium Live Event.

On the April 3rd edition of WWE SmackDown, former WWE announcer and sometimes wrestler Pat McAfee helped Randy Orton beat up WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a surprising alliance that didn’t go over well with WWE fans.

After Orton teased getting career advice from a mystery advisor, many fans thought it would be a wrestling legend, but it turned out to be McAfee.

It was reported that TKO Chairman & CEO Ari Emanuel is the one who pushed for WWE to use Pat McAfee in this angle since Emanuel believes strongly in McAfee, who hosts a sports talk show on YouTube and ESPN.

During most of his WWE run so far, McAfee has been a babyface wrestler when he’s stepped into the ring, other than his NXT run a few years ago. McAfee’s heel turn has been criticized a lot by WWE fans, so there may be more twists along the way.

At WrestleMania 42, Cody Rhodes will defend the Undisputed WWE Title against Randy Orton in the WrestleMania Saturday main event on April 18th, and McAfee will likely be in Orton’s corner.

After WrestleMania, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that WWE is planning to have Orton & McAfee team up at Backlash.

“McAfee will team with Orton against Rhodes & Jelly Roll coming out of WrestleMania and be a key match at the Backlash PPV on 5/9, at least as of plans that were confirmed to us by multiple people and were still in play at press time.”

Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll have been allies on WWE TV, while Jelly also teamed up with Orton at SummerSlam in 2025.

Pat McAfee Has “Massive Surprise” For WWE SmackDown

In a social media post on Thursday evening, Pat McAfee said he’ll be on the April 10th WWE SmackDown in San Jose and he has a massive surprise for the show.

Randy Orton is gonna save the business for future generations of wrestling fans. That’s so incredible to think about.. Very rarely do these types of obviously monumental moments happen in our lifetime.

My daughter and baby boy on the way are gonna have a WWE that is thriving.. a WWE that is the greatest form of entertainment on Earth, bar none, because the top of the company is gonna be exactly what it’s supposed to be.

A man sent DIRECTLY from the Wrestling AND Sports Entertainment Gods will be properly leading the business once again.

It is my honor to serve the future generations of wrestling fans as I motivate The 🐐, Randy Orton to not only become 15 TIME WORLD CHAMPION but also, become a man who saved his family’s business.

WrestleMania Saturday Night is gonna be The most Historic Night in the HISTORY of sports.. SO MUCH ON THE LINE. Multi-Generational pressure comes to a head. Randy will prevail… for all of us 🙏🏻

See also… I have a MASSIVE SURPRISE to announce tomorrow night.

You’ll start thanking me and Randy soon enough for all of this.

SEE YOU IN SAN JOSE

Here’s what WWE is advertising so far for SmackDown on April 10th, which is just 8 days away from WrestleMania 42.

  • How will Cody Rhodes respond to assault by Randy Orton and Pat McAfee?
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  • Sami Zayn will be out for payback on Trick Williams
  • Royce Keys makes his SmackDown debut this Friday