WWE asked Cody Rhodes to ‘shoot from the hip’ with scathing promo on Pat McAfee: Report

The Cody Rhodes promo that happened later in the night on SmackDown was a green light from WWE to counter Pat McAfee's blistering remarks on the current state of the company.

WWE asked Cody Rhodes to ‘shoot from the hip’ with scathing promo on Pat McAfee: Report

Cody Rhodes on SmackDown [via- WWE]

An incensed Cody Rhodes went off on Pat McAfee and everyone that he represented on this week’s SmackDown after the former NFL punter was revealed as Randy Orton‘s mystery caller. The conviction with which Rhodes got things off his chest made the fans believe that it was a knee-jerk reaction to the poorly-received integration of McAfee into the story.

BodySlam has published a detailed report on what transpired behind the scenes after the fans online trashed McAfee’s reveal of who’s been on the phone with Orton. The aforementioned outlet noted that Rhodes received the directive from members of the WWE creative team to head out and “shoot from the hip” regarding McAfee and TKO.

‘The American Nightmare’ wasn’t originally listed for that promo on the internal rundown of the show, as it wasn’t supposed to happen before the intense online backlash to the opening segment. Moreover, the report added that Rhodes and some in the creative team have “legitimate gripes with TKO” for it meddling in major storylines close to WrestleMania for years now.

Take, for instance, the same thing happened with Cody Rhodes’ feud with John Cena heading into WrestleMania last year. The unsolicited involvement of Travis Scott as the aide of The Rock was wanted by none, and the rapper being made to walk out in the closing of the actual Rhodes vs. Cena match at Mania left a bad taste in every wrestling fan’s mouth.

The latest TKO-enforced pick for the cause is Pat McAfee, who absolutely buried the current WWE product and lagging WrestleMania 42 ticket sales in a totally unscripted promo on SmackDown. The College GameDay host talking so much smack about the existing state of WWE acted as the impetus to entrust Rhodes with the onus of countering everything that McAfee spewed with a befitting response.

It was also noted that the 38-year-old ESPN analyst was tapped in as the one in Randy Orton‘s ears since around the Elimination Chamber PLE. It came directly from the TKO executives to have McAfee feature in such a major capacity.

PWInsider first broke in its reporting that the said idea didn’t originate in the WWE creative writers’ room and was instead an edict that came from the TKO brass. The possibility of Ari Emanuel being the one to ask for it was broached in the report, which was later confirmed by BodySlam.

Mark Henry empathizes with Pat McAfee about his promo slamming Cody Rhodes-led current state of WWE

It appears like Pat McAfee has a rare advocate rooting for the exact cause the former Colts punter grieved about on SmackDown. He’s none other than Mark Henry. ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ reviewed McAfee’s comments on the Busted Open Radio podcast.

Henry affirmed that the ex-NFL player was stressing about the pro wrestling business becoming softer with time due to it not having those middle-aged burly figures to make wrestling believable just like it used to be in the Attitude Era.

Randy Orton and Pat McAfee standing tall over Cody Rhodes
Randy Orton and Pat McAfee standing tall over Cody Rhodes [via- WWE]

Henry said he wanted change, and he was glad there was someone else who wanted it too. And for that to happen, some feathers have to be ruffled, which Henry stated that McAfee achieved with his scathing remarks about the current WWE product. The former AEW talent scout thought that the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes showdown at WrestleMania is now headed toward being very Attitude Era-esque.

Did Henry mean to say he’s anticipating a ton of shenanigans in the Rhodes/Orton bout at WrestleMania? However, the fans have already expressed deep resentment with WWE going overboard in terms of incorporating celebrities in various storylines leading to WrestleMania.

There is heavy speculation that with Pat McAfee now aligned with Randy Orton, the latter’s opponent, Cody Rhodes, will be backed by Jelly Roll, whom ‘The Viper’ RKOed last week. Could it then lead to Rhodes/Roll vs. Orton/McAfee after WrestleMania? There is a very high possibility of it happening, which the majority of fans are already repulsive about.

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