Another Major Celeb to be Heavily Involved in WrestleMania 42 and Backlash

The Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton feud is getting even more celebrity involvement.

Last week on SmackDown, Pat McAfee was revealed as the man behind Randy Orton's recent madness. Orton is scheduled to face Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the night one main event of WrestleMania 42.

Orton viciously assaulted Rhodes upon signing the contract for that match, and McAfee has claimed responsibility for helping Orton understand who he is.

McAfee's involvement in the storyline was widely panned by WWE fans and others inside the company, but that backlash apparently isn't strong enough to ward off additional celebrity involvement.

According to a new report from The Wrestling Observer, Jelly Roll is expected to join the Orton and Rhodes feud in significant fashion. The report indicates that the country music star will be in the corner of Rhodes at WrestleMania for his bout with Orton.

The report takes his involvement a step further. At WWE Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, Jelly Roll is expected to take part in a match alongside Rhodes. The current working plan is Orton and McAfee against Rhodes and Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll last wrestled for WWE at SummerSlam in 2025 and at that event, he teamed with Orton to take on Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre. Jelly Roll and Orton did not win the match.

Pat McAfee has a massive surprise for SmackDown

McAfee is being promoted by WWE for SmackDown this week. On Thursday, he announced on social media that he would have a very special and massive surprise for the fans. McAfee didn't give any specific indication as to what the announcement will be about.

Reports indicate that top TKO Group executives advocated for McAfee to get the spot that he did alongside Orton. On Raw this week and SmackDown last week, WWE creative saw both CM Punk and Cody Rhodes go after McAfee and TKO Group for making that choice. This week on Raw, Punk also called for WrestleMania ticket prices to be lowered.

WrestleMania 42 airs live on ESPN Unlimited and on Netflix internationally on April 18 and April 19. The event this year will return to Allegiant Stadium and feature CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns in the night two main event opposite Rhodes vs. Orton on night one.

Other announced matches for the show include Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio, Stephani Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan for the WWE Women's World Championship, and Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women's Championship.