Reason Why Pat McAfee Tag Match at WWE Backlash Was Scrapped

It appears that Pat McAfee is keeping his word. His days in WWE are done, at least for a while.

His sudden involvement in the WWE Championship storyline between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton for WrestleMania 42 was met with heavy criticism from much of the WWE Universe. He vowed to walk away from the business, never to return again, if The Viper failed to win at 'The Showcase of the Immortals, ' and he's now following through on that promise.

“The good news is, the business doesn’t need to be saved after all. And good for them. And for me, I finished my story,” McAfee said earlier this week during his show on ESPN. “Commentated, lucky to do that. Did pre-shows, lucky to do that. Wrestled, lucky to do that. Reffed, lucky to do that. Managed, lucky to do that. It’s been a hell of a run. Thank you, wrestling. It was an honor to be over there.”

What's done is done..

Thank you to the wrestling business #PMSLive https://t.co/rYyaIV73mA pic.twitter.com/LcSJjQh5j6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 20, 2026

Reaction to return was reportedly behind McAfee's decision to step aside

With Pat McAfee now gone from WWE, it should come as no surprise that the reported tag team match that also would have featured Rhodes, Orton, and Grammy Award winner Jelly Roll at Backlash next month is now off the table.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that it was McAfee who "opted out." He said that both McAfee and Jelly Roll love professional wrestling, but are very cognizant about the stigma surrounding celebrity participation in matches, and they do not want to add to the negativity.

Despite taking center stage in the lead-up to WrestleMania Saturday, McAfee's role in the main event match ended up being minimal. He was taken out by Rhodes and Jelly Roll early in the contest and then briefly returned toward the end of the match as a referee replacement, only to eat an RKO from Randy Orton.

Jelly Roll also appears to be done with WWE for a while. He released a video blog from his WrestleMania experience and gave a message to McAfee after the show on Saturday had come to a close.

"Pat, I love you man. Neither one of us had any business here. I say we get back to what we’re good at... even though I’m not actually really good at anything. But you’re great at something, so go do it. I’ll keep searching for what I’m going to do when I grow up.”

The program between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton is set to continue following The Viper's brutal post-match attack on Saturday night. He left the American Nightmare with a nasty looking eye injury that currently has him unable to compete.

There is no timetable for his return, but he's not expected to be stripped of the WWE Championship at this time. The company just teased a future program between Rhodes and CM Punk this past Monday night on Raw centered around a future title opportunity.

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