Pat McAfee has responded to the significant fan disappointment surrounding his revelation as Randy Orton’s mystery phone caller — and he did so with the kind of unfiltered bravado that has defined his WWE character since his surprise SmackDown return on April 3. On the latest episode of his show, McAfee addressed the viewers who had hoped for a bigger name and left nothing ambiguous about how he feels regarding the backlash.
“‘How come it was McAfee on the phone?’ Because I f***ing called him and told him, that’s why. ‘I wanted it to be The Rock.’ You think The Rock wants to do anything for you? ‘I wanted it to be Vince McMahon.’ Vince? Sorry. It was me. It was me,” McAfee said.
McAfee’s Reference to Vince McMahon and The Rock Acknowledges the Two Names Most Fans Had Been Speculating About
The response directly addresses the two names that dominated fan speculation throughout the mystery caller storyline. The Rock has been absent from WWE television since Elimination Chamber 2025, when he aligned with John Cena to attack Cody Rhodes. Vince McMahon, meanwhile, faces an active lawsuit from former employee Janel Grant, who has accused him of sexual assault and sex trafficking — making any WWE involvement by McMahon essentially impossible under current circumstances.
McAfee’s defiant response to the disappointment is entirely in character for someone who has consistently leaned into being the most controversial element of any room he enters. Whether the backlash ultimately validates or undermines the creative decision to place him in the WrestleMania 42 main event story will be determined by how the angle plays out at Allegiant Stadium. McAfee is set to corner Randy Orton when he challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on WrestleMania 42 Night One on April 18 in Las Vegas.
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