Backstage Reaction Split After Ari Emanuel Call On Pat McAfee Angle

Pat McAfee’s involvement in the Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes storyline is still stirring conversation behind the scenes, and a new update suggests not everyone in WWE was fully on board with the direction.

After McAfee attacked Cody Rhodes on the April 3 episode of SmackDown and was revealed as Randy Orton’s mystery phone ally, reports quickly pointed to corporate involvement. That led to speculation online that WWE’s creative direction might have shifted away from Triple H. However, Fightful Select pushed back on that idea and made it clear who is still calling the shots week to week.

The update clarified that despite outside influence, Triple H remains firmly in charge of the show’s creative direction.

“PWInsider reported that the call was an Ari Emanuel call, as he's been very high on McAfee in general, but especially in the entertainment space. This has led to an incorrect notion that Triple H has no say on the creative direction of the show. He's still leading the week-to-week creative and the vast majority of the program.”

The report also revealed why the move was made in the first place. WWE reportedly viewed McAfee’s involvement as a way to bring more attention to the show and strengthen ties with ESPN.

“We're told that the move was made in an effort to boost interest in the show, and for ‘corporate synergy’ between WWE and ESPN.”

Not everyone behind the curtain agreed with the direction, though. Some people had concerns about the tone of the storyline, especially the “this place sucks” style messaging used during the promo.

“There were a number of people who weren't in favor of the direction of the ‘this place sucks’ angle of the promo, and feel that those rarely if ever work in pro wrestling.”

The situation surrounding Cody Rhodes’ promo later in the night also came up in the report. While earlier claims suggested Rhodes was told to speak freely, the latest update noted that the segment wasn’t originally planned, even if it wasn’t fully unscripted.

“Bodyslam reported that the Cody Rhodes promo that happened later in the evening was instructed to be ‘from the hip,’ we can't confirm that the promo was unscripted, but it was unlisted on the company's run sheet.”

As for how people inside WWE reacted to the whole situation, the response wasn’t unanimous. Some viewed the backlash as useful attention, while others believed it wasn’t the kind of reaction the company was hoping for.

“The response internally that we've heard was mixed, but the company was well aware of the reaction online. Some internally chalked the reaction up to ‘heat,’ while others said it wasn't the kind of heat the company needed.”

Even with the controversy, it doesn’t look like McAfee is going anywhere anytime soon. WWE reportedly has more planned for him as WrestleMania 42 gets closer.

“WWE sources tell Fightful that McAfee is also figured into upcoming WWE programming through WrestleMania.”

With WrestleMania 42 right around the corner, the Pat McAfee angle is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about parts of WWE programming — whether fans love it or hate it.

Do you think WWE made the right call keeping Pat McAfee involved through WrestleMania, or do you think the mixed reaction backstage shows the company took the wrong approach? Let us know in the comments.