The rabbit hole continues to deepen more and more, ever since Pat McAfee joined Randy Orton’s current crusade on becoming the next and new Undisputed WWE Champion at WrestleMania 42 in less than two weeks. From McAfee’s impassioned remarks during the opening angle of this past Friday’s “WWE SmackDown” to Cody Rhodes’ impromptu promo later that evening, there are a lot of vehement emotions backstage, in the ring, and beyond. Fightful Select provided a recap on this entire sequence, with hopes that it cleared up any misconstructions ahead of “The Super Bowl of Professional Wrestling” on April 18 and 19th.

As many witnessed this past Friday, verbal bullets ricocheted off the tongues of McAfee and Rhodes, with McAfee opening the floodgates with his remarks on how this business is unwatchable, and that stars like the current Undisputed Champion is hindering the experiences this new era could create. Fightful Select noted that yes, what previous reports have said are true, and that is having McAfee return to WWE was a call made by TKO’s CEO and Executive Chairman, Ari Emanuel. The move for the former commentator’s appearance is to create “corporate synergy” between WWE and ESPN. WrestleVotes on Fightful Select also mentioned that sources in WWE told the publication that McAfee has been figured into plans recently, with the goal of having him work through WrestleMania.

As far as Triple H’s role in all of this, Fightful clarified that the chief content officer still has a very strong say in how these programs are operated creatively, noting that he still leads the week-to-week creative and the vast majority of the program. However, BodySlam+ mentioned in its recent reports that Rhodes coming out to address the matters of McAfee and TKO were similar to the thoughts and feelings that the Undisputed Champion and some of WWE’s creative team have backstage, as they’re frustrated with TKO “sticking their nose in storylines close to WrestleMania” for some time now.

Regarding the most important population of this entire thing, the fans, and their responses to this – with 57,000 to 70,000 downvotes within 24 hours after McAfee’s appearance was uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel – the Stamford-based promotion is well aware of these negative reactions. The feeling backstage is a mixed bag. While some are chalking this up as “heat,” others have said that this wasn’t the kind of heat the company needed leading up to its biggest event of the year.

In addition to his role as Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes hosts a podcast, titled “What Do You Wanna Talk About,” in which chatter and alcoholic beverages are highly encouraged. As Rhodes admits, though, the latter can actually sometimes negatively impact his series.

Appearing on “The Nikki & Brie Show,” Rhodes revealed that three episodes of “What Do You Wanna Talk About” will remain locked up due to the over-consumption of alcohol done while filming them. “It is [presented by] Wheatley American Vodka. The pours are a bit heavy,” Rhodes said. “I will apologize now. I’ve said this, so I’ll make no secret of it. I will apologize to Alexa Bliss, Big E, and I’m not gonna name the other one because she’ll go ham with it. But three of these episodes will never make it because of how deep those pours were.

“It’s never their fault, it’s always my fault,” he continued. “I already have a lisp, so if you’re starting out [slurring], when you’re starting out that way and then you watch it, you’re like, ‘I thought it was okay.’ It’s rough. It’s rough, so I wanted those to be better for them.”

In a now-deleted tweet, former WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green identified herself as the third guest whose podcast appearance is barred from being released. “Me, I’m the other one,” Green wrote alongside a smiling devil emoji. Green’s husband and fellow “WWE SmackDown” star Matt Cardona emerged as Rhodes’ latest guest, with both Cardona and Rhodes sipping on their drinks throughout the show. Together, they also discussed Cardona’s reinvention journey on the indies and their famous championship photo from 2011, amongst other topics.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Nikki & Brie Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Last year, WWE officials made the decision to begin adding specific matches to the company’s Hall of Fame, and the first choice to go in was the bout between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Bret Hart at WWE WrestleMania 13. The match is a favorite of many, including the two men who wrestled it. Speaking to Studio 1 Sports Channel in a recent interview, Hart recalled the process of putting the match together, taking most of the credit himself.

“I just kind of sat with him … looking at an empty ring. ‘This is what I think we should do,'” Hart said. “Very few wrestlers that I knew had this ability, or at least the way I did. I could just put myself right in the ring – I could look at a square on a piece of paper and go, ‘This is how the whole match is going to go.'”

Hart wasn’t claiming to be a genius, but instead shared his belief that he was specifically attuned to pro wrestling in a way that many others are not. He recalled knowing his way around the ring so well that he could always tell how close he was to the ring ropes without having to look around.

While putting together the match with Austin, Hart recalled a schoolyard fight from his childhood that inspired the idea of a double-turn. Once that concept was in place, the two started fleshing out the details.

“That was one of my best stories ever,” Hart continued. “I don’t want to … take anything away from Steve, because I love Steve and I owe a lot to Steve and vice versa, but that match is my match. … Steve delivered two or three things in that match and that was it.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Studio 1 Sports Channel and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Ever since Randy Orton went for blood on the current three-time Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, “The American Nightmare” has faced nothing but hard times. Ahead of his title defense at WrestleMania 42, the polarizing star got pummeled once more by Orton, but also by “The Viper’s” newest ally in the returning Pat McAfee on Friday’s “WWE SmackDown.” That said, Rhodes had nothing but hatred coursing through his veins later on in the show. And his verbal bullets weren’t just aimed towards Orton and McAfee, but TKO (WWE’s parent company) too.

According to PWInsider, the newest reports coming in from Rhodes’ responsive promo was not listed on the planned rundown for the show. Also, there’s belief that the statements made by the current champion reflected his real thoughts on TKO inserting McAfee into this storyline. 

Confirming those reports, BodySlam+ added that Rhodes was instructed to go to the ring later that evening and “shoot from the hip” regarding McAfee’s involvement. They added that the reports they were given noted that Rhodes and members of WWE’s creative team have “legitimate gripes” with TKO for “sticking their nose in storylines close to WrestleMania” multiple years in a row. As our publication  recently reported, Ari Emanuel, the CEO and Executive Chairman of TKO, thinks inviting and incorporating mainstream celebrities into the current WrestleMania 42 build up will enhance last minute ticket purchases before the April 18 and 19th shows.

Twenty years in the making, Rhodes and Orton, two former friends who bonded over their generational ties in this business, will stand in opposition in less than two weeks. Orton’s goal is to add another notch in his decorated career by becoming a 15-time World Champion.

2026 marks Mercedes Martinez’s last year as a full-time active wrestler. Before it officially wraps up, though, Martinez is eager to cross off a major match that’s eluded her.

While appearing on the “The A2theK Wrestling Show,” Martinez revealed her hope to finally wrestle fellow in-ring veteran Natalya, specifically in the form of her alter ego, Nattie. “That’s the one match that I have yet to have in my career. And mind you, we’ve been in promotions together. They just never put us together,” Martinez said. “I don’t know why. Maybe because of storylines or she was brought in for somebody else. I’ve wrestled a who’s who. I wrestled Mickie James. I wrestled Beth Phoenix, Jazz, but Nattie, somehow we just couldn’t get the match put together. So I am hoping that at some point this year that I do get that match and WWE lets it happen. I don’t want Natalya. I love Natalya. Natalya’s been around years. I want the authentic self of Natalya, which is Nattie, her true self.”

In her outings as Nattie, Natalya has taken on more aggressive, shoot-style presentation in the ring. Under the WWE banner, Nattie has primarily targeted Maxxine Dupri, whom she helped train at The Dungeon 2.0. Outside of the company, Nattie has notably competed in NWA and GCW, with another match on the horizon for her at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV on April 17.

“It’s the badass version of her, but it’s also her true self,” Martinez said about Nattie. “She finally just unleashed and [is allowed to] be herself and be her character.”

So far this year, Martinez has performed for promotions such as Beyond Wrestling, Smash Wrestling, and PROGRESS. In the latter, the former AEW star challenged for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The A2theK Wrestling Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.