Backstage News On TKO, Not WWE Creative Team Coming Up With Idea For Pat McAfee To Align With Randy Orton

As noted, Pat McAfee made his return to WWE television on Friday night.

And in a role no one expected.

The former WWE Raw color-commentator shocked the WWE Universe by being unveiled as the “mystery caller” that Randy Orton has been talking to on the phone the past few weeks, encouraging him to listen to “the voices in his head,” and essentially leading him into his heel turn.

McAfee attacked Rhodes and later released a digital exclusive video where he vowed that pro wrestling fans will never see or hear from him ever again if Orton loses to Rhodes on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” at WrestleMania 42.

According to one source, the belief is that McAfee aligning with Orton as a heel character on WWE programming was an edict from TKO to the WWE creative team.

Not the other way around.

The report states that sources insist that it was the WWE creative team, specifically WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, who approved the idea and began to flush out the story that would go along with it leading into the two-night WrestleMania 42 premium live event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. on April 18 and April 19.

One source in particular claimed the edict actually came from as high-up in the corporate ladder as TKO Chief Executive Officer himself Ari Emanuel.

For those interested, you can check out our complete WWE SmackDown Results 4/3/26 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.

(H/T: PWInsider Elite)