On the April 3 edition of WWE SmackDown, Pat McAfee was revealed as the mystery supporter of Randy Orton who has helped him in his rivalry with Cody Rhodes.
However, this new alliance could become short-lived considering McAfee saying that he will leave the wrestling business behind if Orton does not dethrone Rhodes of the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.
With his future in doubt, WWE might have to look at some options to replace the former NFL punter in the near future.
Here are seven potential WWE replacements for Pat McAfee.
7. Jelly Roll
Another celebrity who has been heavily involved in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton rivalry heading into WrestleMania 42 is Jelly Roll.
The country music star has become a regular special guest for WWE even stepping in the ring for the first time at SummerSlam 2025.
Forming a friendship with both Orton and Rhodes, Jelly originally tried to play peacemaker between the two former friends, but it was ‘The Viper’ who delivered a RKO to the Grammy Award winner of the March 27 SmackDown.
Despite this action, Jelly could turn heel and join forces with Orton in Pat McAfee’s place following WrestleMania 42.
6. Tyrese Haliburton
Someone who has had no issue playing the heel role despite being a well known celebrity is Tyrese Haliburton.
The Indiana Pacers point guard has worked alongside the likes of Logan Paul to draw some heat from the WWE fans.
Despite still recovering from a serious torn achilles injury, Haliburton has stated that he will be in attendance for WrestleMania 42.
Haliburton joining forces with Randy Orton and replacing Pat McAfee would make sense considering his status as one of the major stars in the NBA today.
5. Stephen A. Smith
After Pat McAfee was revealed as Randy Orton’s mystery caller, reports circulated that this move was done to create more corporate synergy between WWE and ESPN.
With McAfee being a featured host on the network, it made sense for WWE to utilize the former NFL punter since this year’s WrestleMania 42 will be the first iteration of the PLE to air on the ESPN Unlimited app.
Someone else who could take McAfee’s place and add to the connection between the two entities is Stephen A. Smith.
Widely regarded as the biggest star on ESPN, Stephen A. has always shown himself to be a confident talker and could play the role of heel manager in the place of McAfee if Orton loses at Mania.
4. KSI
Back at WWE WrestleMania 39, KSI made his debut with the company in the PRIME mascot suit during Logan Paul’s match with Seth Rollins.
The British YouTuber has grown in popularity and become a bigger name in the world due to different successful businesses and his hosting opportunities.
Being someone who has the stature to work in the wrestling business, KSI could work well in the place of Pat McAfee coming off the heels of WrestleMania 42.
KSI replacing McAfee would be fitting and see if he could succeed in WWE long term in any way.
3. Patrick Mahomes
Another celebrity who has been featured on WWE television in the past is Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is among the biggest stars in the NFL and in all of sports.
Showing some affiliation with Logan Paul, Mahomes played a heel despite his appearance taking place in Kansas City.
Seeing if he could excel in a different business, Mahomes is a bigger NFL name that could garner more attention than even Pat McAfee could in the same role following the events of WrestleMania 42.
2. Kevin Owens
While most of the names listed here are from outside of the wrestling business, there are some names who could replace Pat McAfee as the real supporter of Randy Orton.
Considering his importance to the story between Rhodes and Orton over the past few years, Kevin Owens has been something of a missing element in the buildup to WrestleMania 42.
Owens has been on the sidelines with a serious neck injury for over a year and could make a return in a non-wrestling role.
Using McAfee as a bit of a red herring, KO could reveal himself as the real mystery caller to Orton and showed him the light of who Cody Rhodes really is heading into WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
1. Tom Brady
In the weeks leading into WWE WrestleMania 42, there has been some controversy arising thanks to Tom Brady.
The NFL legend appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast IMPAULSIVE and had some disparaging remarks about the pro wrestling world.
This led to some back-and-forth between Paul and Brady on social media and at a celebrity event recently.
While he could appear to further interact with Paul, Brady could use his disdain for wrestling as a reason to replace Pat McAfee and join forces with Orton to take down the current face of WWE in Cody Rhodes after Mania.
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