Pat McAfee was stretchered out during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 after an intense confrontation with Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll. Despite the injury, McAfee raised a middle finger to the crowd as he was taken away.
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The road to WrestleMania is when WWE builds its storylines for the "Showcase of the Immortals," creating iconic moments that lead to must-see matches in the biggest show of the year. The Undisputed WWE Championship feud was headed in that direction earlier this year, but the polarizing introduction of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into a main-event matchup has been a controversial topic among WWE fans in recent weeks. **See:**WrestleMania Night 1 live grades, results for every match Here's how the McAfee storyline played out on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42: McAfee was the first to make an entrance, flipping double middle fingers as he sauntered down the ramp, something not many (if anyone) has had license to do since Stone Cold Steve Austin at his peak. Audio also picked up McAfee saying "f\\\* you" to someone in the crowd.
Whether you love him or hate him, people are ALWAYS talking about @PatMcAfeeShow! 👀
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— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026 Orton brought some positive energy back into the building with his entrance, which got the usual sing-along from the 50,000+ in Allegiant Stadium. Rhodes got an extended entrance which features close-ups of four mannequins wearing his gear from his many character changes throughout his long WWE career. McAfee took the mic from ring announcer Alicia Taylor to give his own Paul Heyman-style intro - which couldn't really compare to the WWE legend. Very classy, @PatMcAfeeShow 😒 pic.twitter.com/AtJusfONK2
— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026 Before referee Charles Robinson signaled for the bell to ring, McAfee attacked Rhodes with his microphone. Rhodes rallied and hit a Cross Rhodes on McAfee, then dragged McAfee onto an announce table to pummel him. Jell Roll appeared at ringside and jumped from one announce table to the other, driving an elbow through McAfee and the table. ELBOW THROUGH THE TABLE 💪 takes out !
Pat McAfee was injured during a match and had to be stretchered out after an attack involving Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll.
His introduction into the main-event matchup sparked mixed reactions among WWE fans, contributing to ongoing debates about the storyline.
The crowd reacted strongly, with McAfee flipping double middle fingers and making provocative comments before his injury.
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— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026 Jelly Roll yelled at Rhodes to give the fans what they came for, and medical staff rolled out a gurney to remove an injured McAfee from the area. McAfee capped his performance by raising a middle finger from the gurney. A message for the Vegas crowd on his way out 🙄@PatMcAfeeShow
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— WWE (@WWE) April 19, 2026 This may be WWE's way of extracting McAfee from the rest of the show and giving us a match, but I have a feeling McAfee may not be done on Saturday. *This article originally appeared on For The Win: What happened with Pat McAfee in WrestleMania main event?*