Steve Carrier on April 10, 2026
WWE fans didn’t waste any time making their feelings known after the April 10, 2026 episode of SmackDown ended—and the reaction to the Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee segment turned ugly fast.
Shortly after the show wrapped, WWE uploaded clips from SmackDown to YouTube, including the opening backstage confrontation featuring Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee. Within roughly minutes of the clip going live, viewers noticed the reaction was heavily negative, with dislikes nearly doubling the number of likes.
The backlash didn’t stop at the dislike button. Fans flooded the comment section with blunt reactions, making it clear they weren’t sold on the celebrity-heavy direction tied to TKO involvement. One fan questioned why celebrities seemed to be getting more focus than full-time WWE stars.
“TKO think they are the main event and not the actual wwe superstars in cody and randy 😂”
Another viewer pointed directly to frustration about the celebrity presence becoming more frequent.
“Welcome to the celebrity era uhhh😂”
Some reactions were even harsher, with fans suggesting the segment hurt interest in the product.
“Nonsense on top of nonsense…. it’s getting disgusting now. These idiots are the ones who are supposed to sell WrestleMania tickets”
Others mocked how often Jelly Roll appeared throughout the broadcast despite not being a regular roster member. “‘I dont work here’ So why the hell is Jelly Roll in like 9/10 segments every week.” A separate comment took a shot at the overall direction of WWE programming. “Watching smackdown in 2026 is beyond torture” There were also sarcastic remarks about the idea of celebrities being positioned in major moments.
“I always wanted to see Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee in a WrestleMania Main Event… … said no one ever….”
The strong reaction came almost immediately after SmackDown went off the air, making it clear that this wasn’t a slow burn backlash. The negative engagement piling up so quickly suggests many fans were already frustrated with the direction before the clip even dropped online.
With WrestleMania season heating up and celebrity involvement becoming more visible under the TKO era, reactions like this could become a bigger talking point if WWE continues leaning into too many crossover moments.
What do you think about the reaction to Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee showing up on SmackDown—are fans overreacting, or is WWE pushing too hard with celebrity involvement? Drop your thoughts and let us know.
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