TKO officials hopeful Pat McAfee’s return will boost interest in WrestleMania

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Fightul Select has reported that the McAfee move was made, not just to boost interest and sales, but to show “corporate synergy” between WWE and ESPN. Since Wrestlepalooza back in October, WWE’s been heavily advertised through college and professional sports broadcasts, daily shows, and more across all ESPN-branded channels and social media.

Last night, it was reported by PWInsider that this was a TKO decision, possibly coming from Ari Emanuel, over the head of even Triple H.

Cody Rhodes’ response to Pat McAfee’s WWE return was apparently “from the hip”

After taking a beatdown from Randy Orton and McAfee, Cody Rhodes returned later on in the night to call out the ESPN host and former Indianapolis Colt. Per BodySlam, The American Nightmare was reportedly told to go shooting last night, leading to a brutal comparison to a former WCW name.

After blindsiding Kit Wilson, Rhodes grabbed a microphone and mocked McAfee’s heel turn. The WWE Champion mocked the former commentator, claiming that this reveal would be comparable to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall bringing in Disco Inferno as their third in the original NWO. Harsh.

Aligning Pat McAfee and Randy Orton was a divisive decision, to put it mildly. While some fans appreciate a little extra star power around WrestleMania season, others believe this to be a case of “overbooking”, adding an element that wasn’t needed with two Superstars who have so much history. It’s not just fans that feel that way, apparently, as members of the roster are reportedly frustrated with TKO getting too involved in WrestleMania plans two years in a row.