Pat McAfee ‘Massive Surprise’ On WWE SmackDown

Published: Apr 10, 2026 by SP3 | Last Updated: Apr 10, 2026 by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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Pat McAfee ‘Massive Surprise’ On WWE SmackDown

On the April 3 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Pat McAfee was revealed as the mystery caller that has been speaking with Randy Orton over the past few weeks.

McAfee cut a scathing promo that disparaged Cody Rhodes, the current state of WWE and proclaimed that Orton would save the business.

Now heading into the April 10 SmackDown, McAfee has promised a “massive surprise” for fans that is promising to be just as shocking as his reveal the week prior.

Here are six potential Pat McAfee “massive surprises” on WWE SmackDown.

6. Becoming Special Guest Referee For Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Randy Orton and Pat McAfee stand over Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown

Pat McAfee revealed himself to be Randy Orton’s mystery caller on the Friday, April 3 episode of SmackDown

Pat McAfee aligning himself with Randy Orton has clearly given “The Viper” an advantage heading into his Undisputed WWE Championship match with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42.

This reveal just a few weeks before Mania gives Rhodes some time to adjust his gameplan for his latest title defense.

To throw another curveball at “The American Nightmare,” McAfee could announce that TKO gave him the right to name a special guest referee for the Rhodes vs. Orton Undisputed WWE Championship bout at “The Show of Shows.”

McAfee naming himself the special guest referee would guarantee that his ally Orton now has an even bigger advantage in this title showdown in Las Vegas.

5. Introducing Randy Orton’s Father “Cowboy” Bob Orton To Be In His Son’s Corner At WrestleMania 42

WWE star Randy Orton and his father 'Cowboy' Bob Orton

“Cowboy” Bob Orton returned to WWE TV in 2005 during the height of his son Randy’s “Legend Killer” run

When Randy Orton was first seen talking to his mystery caller, he repeated the opening of Cody Rhodes’ theme song, “wrestling has more than one royal family.”

This led fans to believe that Orton’s mystery caller could be someone from his family or from a famous wrestling lineage.

Pat McAfee being revealed as the mystery caller could be merely red herring for him and Orton to introduce another legend that the two men are working with.

With this “massive surprise,” it could be McAfee introducing that he arranged for “The Legend Killer” to have his father and WWE Hall of Famer, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, to be his son’s corner for his battle against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42.

4. Challenging Jelly Roll To A Fight To Get In Cody Rhodes’ Head

WWE's Randy Orton and Pat McAfee alongside Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll’s first match in WWE saw him team with Randy Orton against Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam 2025

On the March 27 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Jelly Roll tried to talk some sense and separate Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes during their pull-apart brawl.

However, the Grammy Award winner instead received a RKO from his former tag team partner and friend Orton in the process.

Now that Pat McAfee has been revealed as the mystery caller who motivated Orton to snap, he could issue a challenge to Jelly to play some mind games with Rhodes.

McAfee facing Jelly would be a star studded match that would bring further attention to the Orton vs. Rhodes rivalry heading into WrestleMania 42 in just over a week.

3. New Authority Figure Role

Pat McAfee has worked as a commentator and wrestler in WWE.

On Monday’s WWE Raw, CM Punk added his two cents when it comes to Pat McAfee and his comments on last week’s Friday Night SmackDown.

Proclaiming that McAfee was sent by TKO, this could lead to that real life element being brought into this storyline moving forward.

McAfee using the power bestowed upon him by TKO could be an interesting way to stack the deck against stars like Punk and Cody Rhodes.

Using the TKO power to his advantage, McAfee’s “massive surprise” could be that he has been named WWE’s newest authority figure to make everyone’s lives a living hell.

2. Announcing That He & Randy Orton Are Working With The Rock

Randy Orton received his first mystery phone call during the March 16 episode of WWE Raw

While Pat McAfee’s reveal as the mystery caller was quite the surprise itself, many fans were disappointed by this shocking return.

Despite this surprise factor, McAfee’s involvement in this rivalry between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes did not make much sense, especially in comparison to the other potential options.

With McAfee working closely with TKO, he could be used as a vehicle to bring in much bigger names who could further help to sell tickets for WrestleMania 42.

McAfee and Orton announcing that they are working with The Rock would make sense and further increase the intrigue heading into “The Show of Shows” and whether “The Final Boss” could show up in Las Vegas.

1. Hell In A Cell Stipulation For Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton to win the 2025 King of the Ring

Heading into WWE WrestleMania 42, the rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton has only gotten more intense and personal.

This has led to many fans believing that this Undisputed WWE Championship match should have some kind of stipulation added to the bout.

Wanting to give this title match extra stakes, McAfee could announce an added stipulation to the proceedings at Mania.

Orton vs. Rhodes getting a Hell In A Cell stipulation would add to the anticipation for this Undisputed WWE Championship match and further increase the chances of selling out the remaining tickets for “The Showcase of the Immortals.”