Triple H Reportedly Blindsided By Pat McAfee’s WWE SmackDown Actions

Pat McAfee returned to WWE on SmackDown this week. He was revealed as Randy Orton’s secret ally and the mystery caller The Viper had been talking to.

The Apex Predator opened the April 3, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. He addressed the crowd, speaking about his upcoming championship match against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 and claimed that he is fully focused on winning the title and becoming a 15-time world champion in WWE.

Moments later, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes interrupted Orton’s promo, leading to a physical confrontation in the ring. Shortly after, Pat McAfee shocked the crowd with a surprise return and entered the ring to attack The American Nightmare with a low blow. Capitalizing on the situation, Orton assaulted Cody Rhodes with a steel chair.

While Orton continued his attack on Rhodes, McAfee cut a heel promo and identified himself as the mystery caller who had been advising Orton. He then criticized the current state of WWE under Rhodes’ leadership, even citing low viewership and poor WrestleMania 42 ticket sales, saying that the business has gone soft.

McAfee declared that he was on a mission to motivate Orton to take over WWE and save the business. Later in the show, Cody Rhodes returned to the ring to deliver a fiery “shoot-style” promo directly targeting TKO management for their interference in his storyline with Randy Orton.

Pat McAfee Went Off Script During His WWE SmackDown Promo

A fresh report from Bodyslam.net has claimed that Pat McAfee’s promo on SmackDown was completely off-script. His comments about the current WWE product, low ratings, and ticket sales were not rehearsed.

The report added that Triple H sent out Cody Rhodes to the ring for an unplanned segment later that night to lessen the impact of the fallout from Pat McAfee’s earlier segment and regain control of the show’s narrative.

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