WWE Talent Free to Express Unhappiness With Pat McAfee’s WrestleMania Role

The wave of WWE talent publicly criticizing Pat McAfee’s involvement in the Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton WrestleMania 42 storyline is not happening by accident — and it is not happening in spite of the company either. According to Fightful Select, WWE has placed no restrictions on its talent expressing unhappiness in media about the McAfee angle or his recent comments, which explains why multiple performers have felt comfortable speaking openly about their dissatisfaction.

Damian Priest stated it “sucks” and that McAfee’s involvement “kind of p***ed him off” during a conversation with Gabby LaSpisa. Cody Rhodes adopted a Mariah Carey “I don’t know him” stance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast while also questioning whether people in McAfee’s orbit are giving him honest feedback. Both comments have now been contextualized by Fightful’s reporting — WWE is aware of the talent sentiment and has chosen not to suppress it.

McAfee’s 25% WrestleMania Ticket Discount Announcement Backfired as Night Two Outsold Night One Over the Weekend

McAfee’s insertion into the programme was a decision by TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, made with the stated goal of boosting WrestleMania 42 ticket sales and increasing synergy between WWE and ESPN. The strategy has not delivered the desired results so far — ticket sales remain down approximately 19.6% from the same point last year. McAfee’s announcement on the April 10 SmackDown of 25% off Night One tickets also produced an unexpected outcome — more tickets were sold for Night Two over the weekend despite McAfee actively telling fans not to bother attending the second night of WrestleMania.