As seen during the April 3rd 2026 edition of WWE SmackDown, Pat McAfee was revealed as Randy Orton’s mystery phone caller after he attacked WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. McAfee ended up being in Orton’s corner at WrestleMania 42.
Mike Johnson noted the following about what was originally pitched for Orton leading into WrestleMania…
“PWInsider.com is told that a pitch for Orton’s WrestleMania role back in January involved SmackDown star Aleister Black tormenting Orton, trying to bring out the old Apex Predator version of Orton. The idea was that if Black succeeded, it would prove Orton had never changed or evolved and was still the old Orton deep inside. We are told the idea was that Black and Orton would face off Mania weekend, with Orton would hesitate to use his punt kick and likely lose, but then later attack Cody Rhodes as a Wrestlemania angle, using the punt to bring back the old Apex Predator and prove Black right all along.”
Johnson added that it’s unclear how far the pitch advanced within WWE’s creative process, but elements of the original idea seem to have carried over into McAfee’s role—including the return of the Apex Predator and Orton delivering the punt kick to Cody at WrestleMania. At some stage, McAfee’s involvement appears to have replaced the initially proposed version featuring Black.