Pat McAfee Initially Rejected WrestleMania 42 Role Before Deal Was Reached

TLDR

Pat McAfee was WWE's first choice for celebrity involvement in the Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 42 feud, but initially rejected the role before eventually agreeing to a deal. According to Dave Meltzer, the push for McAfee's involvement came from Ari Emanuel, and WWE scrambled to find alternatives after his initial rejection before ultimately working out terms that led to his April 3 SmackDown appearance where he aligned with Orton and attacked Rhodes.