Original Plans For Pat McAfee On SmackDown Revealed

On this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, the next step in the controversial Pat McAfee/Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton saga played out in which McAfee’s teased announcement for the show was that WrestleMania 42 Saturday would be receiving a 25% off sale. McAfee’s sale announcement and promo exchange with Cody Rhodes took place partway into the blue brand’s broadcast, though this wasn’t the original plan. 

According to PWInsider, the Pat McAfee segment was originally scheduled to close out Friday Night SmackDown, ending with Orton and McAfee laying out both Rhodes and Jelly Roll, before walking out of the building with the Undisputed WWE Championship. Over the course of the day, plans were changed for some reason. 

Originally, Rhea Ripley’s opening promo on SmackDown was to lead directly into a match between WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill and Iyo Sky, but instead this match ended up headlining the show. McAfee’s promo regarding ticket sales comes after things have been slow-moving when filling up WrestleMania 42, with it revealed this week that sales were around 19% lower than they were one year ago.