Damian Priest has joined the growing list of WWE stars weighing in on Pat McAfee’s controversial promo on WWE SmackDown, and his reaction was strongly negative.

Speaking on the “GABBY AF” podcast, Priest made it clear he was not a fan of how McAfee approached his return segment, which included references to ticket sales and television ratings.

“It sucks. I’m not a fan,” Priest said. “I don’t think that helps anything. He didn’t need it. For me, and I’m sure a lot of people aren’t going to be happy that I said that, in the locker room, specifically, a lot of us weren’t happy. That’s real. I was asked by some of the younger talent ‘What did I think?’ I thought it was bull.”

Priest went on to explain that part of his frustration stemmed from the freedom McAfee had on the microphone, particularly on a PG-rated show, where other talent are more restricted.

“He didn’t like how McAfee could come in and drop ‘F’ bombs on a PG show, as other talent could benefit from that in their promos. He said it ‘p**** him off’ that someone who’s not there all the time got away with saying something like that.”*

According to Priest, the reaction within the locker room was largely aligned with his own, noting that many were unhappy with how the segment played out.

“The locker room is in agreement that they wanted to take the microphone away from McAfee.”

Despite his criticism, Priest acknowledged that the segment achieved its intended goal of drawing attention.

“It is [garnering] attention, which is the whole point,” he said. “They’re trying to sell this match and obviously adding somebody like Pat McAfee does add, don’t get me wrong. He’s got a crazy following and he’s very popular, but I don’t agree with the way he went about it.”

McAfee’s involvement continues to be a focal point heading into WrestleMania 42, where he is aligned with Randy Orton. The storyline has already drawn strong reactions from top names such as Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, and Priest’s comments add further insight into how the angle is being received behind the scenes.

Damian Priest Criticizes Pat McAfee’s WWE SmackDown Promo

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Matt Hardy believes Pat McAfee may have taken a subtle jab at All Elite Wrestling during his promo on WWE SmackDown.

Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy alongside Jon Alba, Hardy reacted to McAfee’s return segment, where he aligned with Randy Orton and criticized the current wrestling landscape. One line in particular referenced smaller wrestlers competing in lengthy Iron Man-style matches, which sparked debate about its intended target.

While Alba suggested the comments were directed at WWE’s own product, Hardy strongly disagreed and pointed toward AEW as the real focus.

“I 100% (think) it was a shot at AEW. He put the veil over it and just said, ‘Oh, blah, blah, blah. I turned this on, and this is what I see. Pro wrestling is going to shit now. It’s not Attitude Era. No, I know I did (say WWE), but I think it was a valid shot in AEW….I think a lot of that was like, they’re saying wrestling is different now and not what it’s supposed to be, Attitude Era-esque. And I think a lot of that was related to AEW. I think that was kind of the underlying narrative.”

Hardy also addressed comparisons between McAfee’s involvement and Travis Scott’s role in a previous WrestleMania main event, arguing the situations are not comparable due to McAfee’s long-standing connection to WWE.

“I feel like with the way they kicked it off. If they do it right, it will not detract it will add to it. I feel like saying Travis Scott and Pat McAfee, they’re in two different hemispheres. Travis Scott doesn’t know wrestling. He’s never been in that role. McAfee does know wrestling, and he knows it really well, because he’s a longtime fan and he’s followed and supported it his whole life, and he’s worked at the company. He knows the inner workings. They are, to a degree, but I feel like, as opposed to just being a celebrity, he feels more like a WWE home.

WWE is his home more than anything else. It doesn’t feel like he’s an outside celebrity coming in. He’s featured on commentary for how long? How long do you do commentary for? He’s a very established and known WWE character, you know. So, yeah, they didn’t just, like, you know, put the hook around the stack and pull them in off the streets. I mean, he’s a very established WWE character and personality, and they gave him just something very interesting. He was just saying, like, you know, all these other little guys who out there flipping around whatever styles change, 5’5, having these 10 matches, Ironman matches, and you have 6’5 Randy Orton, you know, the legend killer, the real deal. This is what wrestling is like. We’re missing out from the Attitude Era and how things used to be. I mean, there were a lot of things in there that were pretty compelling. You know that, especially, I think, I think this was dictated to the smarter audience. Is because they, I mean, they’re always going to continue to grow and get bigger and bigger and bigger, but they’re also going to be the most vocal.”

The discussion comes as McAfee continues to be involved in a major storyline heading into WrestleMania 42. On night one, Orton is set to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on April 18. Meanwhile, CM Punk is scheduled to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns on night two, April 19.

Hardy’s comments add another layer of interpretation to McAfee’s promo, which has already generated strong reactions from fans and industry figures.

Matt Hardy Says Pat McAfee’s SmackDown Promo Took Subtle Shot at AEW

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Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s live coverage for “WWE SmackDown” on April 10, 2026, coming to you live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California!

Pat McAfee left many in shock last week when he made his unexpected return to WWE to align himself with Randy Orton, attack Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes days before he defends his title against Orton at Night One of WWE WrestleMania 42, and express his desire to return to the days of big men in the Attitude Era. Tonight, he will potentially be providing some answers as he makes an appearance with something on his mind to share.

Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, and The Bella Twins will be challenging The Irresistible Forces’ Nia Jax and Lash Legend for the Women’s Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four-Way Match at Night One of WrestleMania 42, Bliss will be going head-to-head with Bayley. Despite Bliss and Flair becoming involved in a match between Bayley and Legend on this past Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw”, Bayley took out Bliss and Flair before she managed to emerge victorious against Legend thanks to Valkyria holding Legend’s foot for assistance.

Royce Keys (formerly Powerhouse Hobbs) will be making his televised “SmackDown” debut. On top of taking part in the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble, Keys has defeated the likes of The Motor City Machine Guns, Rey Fenix, Los Garza’s Berto, Brutus Creed of American Made, Los Americanos’ Rayo Americano, and Rey Fenix in a series of untelevised dark matches across “Raw” and “SmackDown” dating back to the February 13 episode of “SmackDown”.

Before he defends his United States Championship against Trick Williams at Night Two of WrestleMania 42, Sami Zayn will be making an appearance on tonight’s show. After Zayn retained his United States Championship against Carmelo Hayes in the main event of last Friday’s show, Williams and his newfound ally Lil Yachty blindsided Zayn with an attack and left him laid out.

Rhea Ripley will be challenging Jade Cargill for her Women’s Championship at Night Two of WrestleMania 42, reuniting with IYO SKY to score a win against Cargill’s allies Michin and B-Fab this past Monday on “Raw”. In the moments that followed Ripley and SKY’s victory, Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab forced Ripley to watch as they attacked SKY and left her laid out. Following such, Ripley has something on her mind to share about the attack on tonight’s show.

Additionally, Drew McIntyre will be making an appearance after vowing to expose his WrestleMania 42 opponent and archrival Jacob Fatu for who he really is.