Cody Rhodes Calls Out Pat McAfee for Obsession Over Attitude Era

Cody Rhodes isn’t buying into the Attitude Era talk from Pat McAfee—and now he’s calling out the former punter directly for leaning on it.

With backlash already building over two straight weeks of low Cagematch scores and criticism surrounding McAfee’s presence on WWE programming, Rhodes addressed the situation head-on during an April 13 appearance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast.

Rather than leaning into the controversy, Rhodes initially brushed things off—but quickly made it clear what his issue actually is with McAfee’s repeated references to the Attitude Era.

“I’m just gonna stick with the ‘I don’t know him,’ but this is my issue. I heard him again, getting my ass kicked, I heard him talk about the Attitude Era, and I’m thinking, oh man—I don’t think he knows that was almost 30 years ago. Almost.”

Rhodes didn’t dismiss the era entirely, even acknowledging its importance—but he made it clear the constant comparisons don’t sit right with him, especially given WWE’s current direction: “Still love it, and it was the most prolific era in the business until the last four years.”

From there, Rhodes pointed directly to why the conversation feels out of place to him, especially for talent currently carrying the company. He then closed by doubling down on his earlier stance, keeping distance from McAfee while reinforcing his point.

“So if you’re part of the last four years, you kind of feel like, ‘Why are we talking about this?’ You know what I’m saying? We’re playing in this game—why are we talking about this? And yeah, no—I’ll stick with the official though. I don’t know him.”

This comes at a time when McAfee’s on-screen role has already led to tons of backlash, with critics pointing to his long promo segments and repeated Attitude Era references as part of the broader frustration surrounding SmackDown’s current direction. Rhodes’ comments don’t just add to that conversation—they directly challenge the idea of looking backwards at a time when WWE is trying to define its current era.

Do you agree with Cody Rhodes that WWE should stop leaning on Attitude Era comparisons, or is that nostalgia still a key part of what works today? Let us know your thoughts.