Cody Rhodes’ unannounced promo on last night’s SmackDown was not on the internal rundown and was driven by legitimate backstage frustration with TKO leadership, with sources telling BodySlam.net that Rhodes was directed by members of creative to go to the ring and shoot from the hip regarding Pat McAfee and TKO.
The promo, in which Rhodes mocked the McAfee revelation by comparing it to Disco Inferno being the third member of the nWo instead of Hulk Hogan, was not scheduled to take place prior to the social media reaction that followed McAfee’s surprise appearance on the show earlier in the evening. Because it was unplanned, the segment did not appear on the internal show rundown.
According to BodySlam, the impromptu nature of the promo reflects a genuine frustration that runs deeper than just the McAfee situation. Rhodes and other members of WWE’s creative team are said to have legitimate gripes with TKO for inserting themselves into storylines in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, a pattern sources indicate has occurred multiple years in a row.
Reports from PWInsider Elite and BodySlam indicated that McAfee’s insertion into the Orton and Rhodes program was a corporate decision from TKO brass rather than a creative one, with Ari Emanuel himself believed to have pushed for McAfee’s involvement as part of WWE’s broader ESPN and WrestleMania ticket strategy.
Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night 1 main event of WrestleMania 42 on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.