Backstage chatter from WrestleMania 42 weekend is painting a picture of heavy turbulence behind the scenes, with one description comparing the situation to a famously chaotic era in wrestling history.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, Dave Meltzer detailed the decision-making process around Cody Rhodes defeating Randy Orton in the night one main event of WrestleMania 42 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship, noting the environment backstage on Saturday was described as “like WCW.”
Meltzer explained that the call not to pivot toward Orton as champion came amid what he referred to as “all the chaos” unfolding internally that day, which was further complicated after Pat McAfee opted out of continuing with WWE.
However, he also noted that the decision for Rhodes to ultimately retain had actually been made prior to Saturday.
“There were those who said the decision was part of all the chaos taking place behind-the-scenes on Saturday before the first show and the call was made the day of. However, those in the know, confirmed the chaos, even saying it was like WCW, but we were told the decision to go with Rhodes over Orton was made prior to the day of the show.”
Meltzer also reported that within WWE, the belief was McAfee’s departure wasn’t solely tied to fan reaction, but also frustration with internal talent response to the storyline direction.
“I don’t know if he gave a reason but the belief in WWE was that he didn’t like the negativity of the fans, not the heel heat, but the negativity, plus even worse, the negativity of the angle from so much of the talent,” Meltzer wrote.
He further added that some WWE talent felt the Rhodes vs. Orton program had a stronger built-in story, pointing to Orton’s history as Rhodes’ mentor during the Legacy faction, and believed the involvement of McAfee and Jelly Roll diluted that narrative focus.
Ultimately, Meltzer noted that once McAfee requested to step away, plans shifted internally toward positioning CM Punk vs. Rhodes as a major match down the line, while also cementing the decision to keep the title on Rhodes rather than transitioning it to Orton.
