Subhojeet Mukherjee on April 8, 2026
Pat McAfee isn’t backing off—and now he’s confirmed he’s showing up on Friday Night SmackDown this week amid all the controversy.
After reports surfaced about backstage concern over his involvement in the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton storyline heading into WrestleMania 42, Pat McAfee has now addressed the situation directly—and confirmed his next move.
While speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on April 8, 2026, McAfee revealed that he will be present for the April 10 episode of WWE SmackDown in San Jose—showing that whatever is unfolding isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
“Friday Night Live from San Jose—I think I’ve got some things to say. I think we’ll have a good time there on SmackDown.”
That confirmation comes right as tension builds behind the scenes. A recent report from Self Made Pro claimed that WWE talent are uneasy about how McAfee was brought into the feud, with concerns ranging from whether the segment was planned to the possibility that it went off-script.
According to that report, talent are split between two uncomfortable scenarios—either WWE intentionally approved the direction, which some feel reflects poorly on the roster, or McAfee acted on his own, which would raise even bigger issues internally.
“I spoke to a WWE talent who was at that SmackDown TV taping… they essentially told me that if this was a work and WWE was in on it, it buries everything that they as talent do on the show, and it just makes everybody look bad.”
That same concern extends to the alternative possibility, which isn’t being viewed any better: “But if this is instead Pat McAfee going into business for himself, that is even worse.”
The uncertainty itself appears to be the biggest issue. Talent reportedly aren’t sure which version of events is more damaging, with one source describing the overall situation in blunt terms.
“I don’t know which of those two options is worse—McAfee going into business for himself or WWE having Pat McAfee shoot on the product and bury the product… this is a mess. This is counterproductive. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
There’s also growing concern about what this could mean moving forward, especially with reports suggesting corporate influence tied to Ari Emanuel may have played a role in the decision.
“Is this setting a precedent for more of this in the future?… Is Ari just going to pop in anytime things are sagging behind?”
With McAfee now confirmed for SmackDown, the situation is far from over. In fact, it may just be getting started as WWE heads into WrestleMania 42 with real questions swirling about creative direction and backstage morale.
Do you think Pat McAfee appearing on SmackDown will make this situation better or worse, and is WWE taking a risk by continuing this angle so close to WrestleMania? Let us know your thoughts and feedback.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
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