On the 4/3 edition of WWE SmackDown, Pat McAfee returned to WWE during a confrontation between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes.
As recapped by Roy Nemer in his live coverage of the show:
Orton says Cody gave him his blessing, it’s not personal between them. Cody said he can be the viper, to be what he needed to be, to be the best version of himself. He said he can listen to the voices, Orton says he saw the voices talking to him too, he saw him in the ring with Stephanie McMahon. He says Stephanie was not lying when she told Cody that Cody could not beat him. And the voices in Cody’s head are telling him the same thing. Orton tells Cody that Cody is not a killer. What he has awoken inside him, there is no putting back to bed.
Cody’s music hits and out he comes. He gets in the ring and both men with right hands. In comes Pat McAfee from behind and he low blows Cody. Orton grabs a steel chair and Orton gives Pat a microphone. Orton hits Cody with the steel chair.
The promo that followed had McAfee reveal that Orton called him, leading to a conversation about the state of the business these days and how important Randy Orton is to pro wrestling.
McAfee’s last appearance for the company came at Wrestlepalooza in September 2025, taking a hiatus due to what he described as mental exhaustion.