• WWE Officials Not Happy With What Pat McAfee Said In His Heel Turn Promo
Pat McAfee shocked fans on the April 3rd episode of SmackDown by attacking Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and revealing himself as the mystery person on the phone with Randy Orton.
While the move has caused a lot of debate online, the decision came from the very top of TKO. According to PWInsider, this wasn’t an idea from the regular WWE writing team. Instead, it was a direct order from TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, who is also McAfee’s agent.
Emanuel reportedly pushed for the move to create “corporate synergy” with ESPN and help sell more tickets for WrestleMania 42.
Despite rumors that he’s losing power, Triple H is still the one running the day-to-day creative for the rest of the show. He reportedly approved the McAfee move after the “edict” came down from TKO leadership.
According to Fightful Select, many people within WWE weren’t fans of the “this place sucks” angle in McAfee’s promo, feeling those types of stories rarely work in wrestling. Some insiders called the online backlash “bad heat” that the company didn’t need right now.
Later that night, Cody delivered a promo that wasn’t even listed on the show’s official schedule. He was reportedly told to “shoot from the hip” to address the situation.
Even though McAfee previously denied he was coming back, WWE sources say he is now a major part of the plans leading all the way through WrestleMania 42.
RELATED: Cody Rhodes Was Told To Shoot On TKO In Unscripted SmackDown Promo
• “Proud of you!” – 2 WWE Main Roster Stars React To Jacy Jayne Losing NXT Title, Jacy Comments
In the opening match of the main show of WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2026, Lola Vice defeated Jacy Jayne and Kendal Grey in a Triple Threat Match to win the NXT Women’s Championship.
This was Lola’s first title win in WWE. She is also the current AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship with Mr. Iguana.
Jacy Jayne’s second NXT Women’s Title reign ended at 137 days. Jacy tweeted the following after her loss:
“Proud..but most importantly grateful🖤”
Two WWE main roster stars reacted to Jacy’s tweet:
Bayley: Proud of you!
Natalya: You did an amazing job as champ
RELATED: Jacy Jayne Suffers Massive Wardrobe Malfunction At WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2026 (Photo)
