Pat McAfee Revealed as Randy Orton's Mystery Advisor, Turns Heel on Cody Rhodes at WWE SmackDown

The mystery surrounding Randy Orton's backstage phone advisor heading into WrestleMania 42 was finally put to rest on WWE SmackDown, and it came with a major swerve — the return of Pat McAfee, now firmly aligned with "The Viper" as a heel.

The show opened in Orton's hometown of St. Louis following a video recap of the segment between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Stephanie McMahon from Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden. Orton addressed the crowd and made it personal, noting that his wife and kids were seated ringside and that everything he was doing was for them. He then shifted his focus to Rhodes, referencing the Raw segment and declaring there was "no putting me back to bed."

Rhodes responded by heading to the ring ready for a confrontation, and the two quickly came to blows — until McAfee emerged wearing a Randy Orton shirt and stopped the momentum cold with a low blow on the champion.

Taking the microphone, McAfee took shots at St. Louis sports teams before pivoting to a scathing critique of the current state of WWE programming. He questioned why certain content was airing on WWE television with someone of Orton's caliber on the roster, and even challenged why WrestleMania tickets were still available given Orton's presence. McAfee confirmed he was the voice on the phone, telling Orton he needed to "kill everything."

McAfee made clear his involvement went beyond simply guiding Orton to a 15th world title reign. He argued that the product Rhodes has been leading is "terrible" and positioned Orton as the man who would "save the f****** business." A brief backstage segment closed the angle, with McAfee doubling down on the "business" narrative and reminding Orton of his status as the greatest of all time.