WrestleMania 42 Saturday ended with a confusing main event. New reports say WWE originally planned a different angle that would have included Aleister Black, but TKO pushed Pat McAfee into the spotlight instead.
Original plan and backstage story
Before the show, WWE was building a story between Aleister Black and Randy Orton on SmackDown. Black teased Orton in backstage segments and even beat him in a singles match on the blue brand. That feud was meant to influence Orton’s choices at WrestleMania 42 Saturday.
According to a report from UFCcoverage, the idea was for Orton to face Aleister Black earlier in the night and for Black to get the better of Orton. Black’s mind games would then push Orton into using the punt kick on Cody Rhodes at the main event. Whether Black would appear at ringside was not clear, but his presence in the storyline would have been felt.
How TKO changed the finish
Things changed when the main event plans were reshuffled. Drew McIntyre was no longer the planned opponent for Cody Rhodes, and Orton and Rhodes switched roles in the title picture. UFCcoverage reports that higher-ups at TKO stepped in and wanted a celebrity element to the main event.
TKO’s decision brought Pat McAfee into the angle as the mysterious voice pushing Orton to turn heel. McAfee’s role was meant to add ticket sales and corporate tie-ins, but fans and critics reacted badly to his involvement. The match structure felt backwards: Rhodes played the aggressor while Orton was shown as the fallen face, which confused the intended story.
Result and fallout
At the end of the match, Cody Rhodes beat Randy Orton. Orton then attacked Rhodes after the bell and used the punt kick, completing his heel turn. The real-world result left Aleister Black without a WrestleMania spot and left many fans upset that a full-time wrestler lost a planned moment to a celebrity insertion.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes | Won the WrestleMania 42 Saturday main event |
| Randy Orton | Lost the match but attacked after the bell and used the punt kick |
| Aleister Black | Had beaten Orton on SmackDown earlier but was left off WrestleMania |
| Drew McIntyre | Lost the WWE Championship back to Cody Rhodes before WrestleMania |
What it means for WWE’s roster
Many fans see this as another example of outside influence hurting WWE storytelling. Critics point to previous moments where celebrity involvement changed planned booking and damaged momentum for full-time wrestlers. In this case, Aleister Black lost a clear chance to be part of a major WrestleMania moment.
The change left a messy main event and raised questions about how much control TKO should have over creative decisions. For now, Black remains a notable figure on SmackDown, but he missed what could have been a big push at WrestleMania 42 Saturday.
