Ari Emanuel made it to the main event of WrestleMania 42

TKO president and super agent Pat McAfee Ari Emanuel has accidentally entered - or been listed - in the main event of WrestleMania 42.

The following is one of the strangest fights we have seen in professional wrestling in the past.

With WrestleMania 42 just a few weeks away, a surprise guest has joined the action in Las Vegas — and I'm just talking about Pat McPhee, former NFL podcaster and part-time Monday Night Live commentator.

On Friday night's SmackDown, WWE superstar Randy Orton's secret advisor, who made even more noise in his head, was revealed to be none other than McAfee for some reason.To many fans, it felt out of left field, to borrow an analogy from a legitimate sports competition.Orton and McAfee don't seem to share a particularly strong relationship and don't usually even work on the same WWE show.According to the wrestler, McAfee wasn't until it was revealed - he worked as a babyface trainer for Raw.But McAfee spearheads Orton's ill-fated attempt to take down the company's main face, unheralded WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, in the (first) main event of WrestleMania 42.

For promotional material, McAfee will be in Orton's corner on Saturday, April 18. (WrestleMania 42 continues and ends the following night.) I guess Rhodes is not happy.

In a scathing promo on USA Network, Rhodes called McAfee "a stoner, a con man, a muscleless Logan Paul, a human hat holder," all in almost the same breath.

"You and those who represent you, and I know who I'm talking to, you can kiss my ass," Rhodes added.“Oh no, was that too far?”Will I be wrong?Confirmed for the last time!”

Speaking of talent, WWE fired and later brought back CM Punk.

While World Heavyweight Champion Punk, who is on the Raw roster, had nothing to do with the Rhodes-Orton match, he also took exception to McAfee's sudden and unexpected involvement.

On Monday's Raw, WWE's flagship weekly show now on Netflix, Punk called McAfee "Pat MAGA-Fee," a reference to McAfee's perceived political leanings.(McAfee says he is apolitical, but also has a relationship with President Trump that included an interview in November 2025. Trump also personally granted McAfee's request to do a podcast from the South Lawn of the White House.)

"You gun-toting, mindless hillbilly," Punk said of McAfee.

McAfee, in character, called the current state of the rivalry invisible, which he blamed on WrestleMania ticket sales.Orton, McAfee said, was the only one who could save the company.

"You want to talk about ticket sales? Punk continued. "Do me a favor. Call the agent who's stupid enough to get you into this business and this show and tell him to lower the ticket prices.

McAfee retired from the NFL in 2017 and signed with WWE in 2019.In 2020, he worked as a wrestler.

Both Punk and Rhodes appeared to be referring to McAfee's agent, Ari Emanuel, the famous model for Jeremy Piven's iconic character Ari Gold on HBO.A February Bloomberg report said that Emanuel is "trying to turn Pat McAfee into the next Sylvester Stallone," which appropriately includes a four-part arc on the King of Tulsa, with Taylor Sheridan revealing that Stallone is the (real) star.It's a two-way relationship: McAfee produces Emanuel's own podcast, Rushmore.

Emanuel, Endeavor's CEO, isn't just a super agent these days—someone who can turn a pro into a top-notch action star.He is also the CEO and Executive Chairman of TKO, the publicly traded company created by WWE's 2023 merger with the UFC.Forget The Rock's 2024 persona - Emanuel is the true "Ultimate Boss" here.

The Hollywood Reporter attempted to contact Emanuel, but did not immediately receive a response from TKO's corporate communications.

Slow WrestleMania 42 ticket sales (so far) have been a concern, with high prices mostly to blame.WrestleTix data shows that the box office is down about 19 percent compared to WrestleMania 41, which was also in Vegas.

At the risk of being labeled a "mark" (a pejorative term for buying pros, hook, line and sinker), the conspiracy theory here is that what Rhodes and Punk are peddling is that Emmanuel creatively pressured WWE to main event McAfee at WrestleMania by any means necessary.Simon Miller, pro wrestling analyst for WhatCulture.com and freelance pro wrestler in the UK, sees it.

"I think Arie really went out of his way to like Pat on TV because he thought he was a good character, and [Arie] wanted to have someone famous on a big show," Miller told THR."I can see WWE saying, 'We can't put a celebrity in CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns...

That certainly sounds Punk.He will defend his belt against Reigns in the main event on Sunday, April 19th.

At this point in the history of pro wrestling, the author has to admit that he knows that pro wrestling is written (mostly) and the results of the matches are decided.This could all be WWE's original creative plan;Cody Rhodes (real name Cody Runnels) and CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) are actually people.Maybe some of the company's great commentators are wrong about what they think is a neutral dismissal of the suits.In wrestling, the truth is both looks.