The Road to WrestleMania 42 took a surprising activate this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown. Randy Orton returned to his hometown of St. Louis and got here face-to-face with Cody Rhodes. What was meant to be a heated confrontation quickly drew backlash following the reveal of Pat McAfee as Orton’s mystery caller.
Orton kicked off the show to an enormous hometown ovation, claiming that Rhodes lacked the killer instinct needed to defeat him at WrestleMania 42. “The Viper” referenced his family at ringside and spoke about fighting for his legacy. The Undisputed WWE Champion didn’t wait long to reply, rushing the ring and immediately brawling with Orton.
McAfee then entered the ring wearing an “RKO Everybody” shirt and shocked the group by delivering a low blow to Rhodes.
McAfee then cut a lengthy promo, revealing himself because the voice guiding Orton in recent weeks. He claimed that he had been pushing Orton to “destroy the whole lot” and went on to criticize WWE, questioning why smaller stars receive television time. He referenced the Attitude Era and even took aim on the declining rankings and unsold tickets for WrestleMania 42.
The segment closed with Orton continuing his assault on Rhodes, while McAfee declared their mission was to “save the business.”
Despite WWE’s apparent intent to create a serious, dramatic moment, the response from fans was largely negative. Many felt the rivalry between Orton and Rhodes was already compelling enough without added twists, arguing that their shared history could have carried the feud by itself. Some fans labeled the segment “embarrassing,” while others called it a missed opportunity.
You possibly can take a look at the reactions below, including some from the eWn commenters themselves:
Colton Tyson wrote, “I knew it was going to be disappointing. Oh, my God. Who considered this pile of sh—?”
Kris Mystery responded with emojis, writing, “🤣😅😄🤣😅😄”
Froot added, “This makes Hector Guerrero coming out of an egg appear to be Gone with the Wind.”
R Lucas stated, “Well they wanted Orton to get booed. This may do it”
ReignFall chimed in with, “What other horrid ideas were pitched before this one looked like the most effective option?”
Captain Charisma said, “HAHAHA”
Aristides Castiglioni stated, “And as expected the “brain” ended up being someone nobody gives a rattling about.”
KTemple147 wrote, “How disappointing! What’s Triple Hs fascination with McAfee!?!”
dguvnorspecial1 wrote, “Said on here before.. It’s the WWE be prepared to be dissatisfied.”
Kevdaman said, “From the Rock to McAfee ? I did just like the McAfee and Adam cole feud during NxT but McAfee was a correct heel that point. That is just strange. There isn’t a link between him and Orton.”
Nate G stated, “Lol you get McAfee cause WWE couldn’t close the deal on Jericho”
philaman01 added, “Completely baffled. By which area(s) is Orton weak that they needed to pair him up with McAfee?”
The Fifth Horseman said, “This isn’t going to work for me, brother.”
AJs Hook wrote, “This may very well be considered one of the worst Manias of all time”
Jon Hekasi said, “WWE has lost it.”
And at last, ManThatRulzTheWrestlingWorld wrote, “This is the reason AEW rankings are improving because everyone just watches the WWE highlights on YouTube now.”
You can even take a look at some additional reactions below:
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