WWE Raw live tonight on Netflix at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Pat McAfee made a loud and memorable return to WWE on the April 3, 2026 episode of SmackDown, but it turns out the road to getting him back on TV wasn’t as straightforward as it looked.
McAfee immediately made an impact by aligning himself with Randy Orton and going after Cody Rhodes, even delivering a fiery, reality-blurring promo that got people talking. It felt like a big-time moment—and according to new details, that was exactly the goal.
Earlier reports had already hinted that McAfee’s return was driven in part by TKO executives looking to create “corporate synergy,” particularly tying WWE more closely with ESPN while also adding star power ahead of WrestleMania 42. The idea was simple: bring in a recognizable name to help generate buzz and potentially move more tickets.
However, Dave Meltzer shared on Wrestling Observer Radio that things didn’t come together quite so easily behind the curtain. According to Meltzer, McAfee was actually the first choice for the role, with the push reportedly coming from TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, who was keen on incorporating celebrity involvement into WWE programming.
The twist? McAfee initially wasn’t on board.
Meltzer noted that after McAfee turned down the opportunity, WWE began looking for other options to fill that spot. That scramble didn’t last forever, though, as the two sides eventually worked things out and reached a deal that brought McAfee back into the fold—just in time for his high-profile SmackDown appearance.
In the end, what fans saw was a seamless return with major storyline implications, but behind the scenes, it was a last-minute success story that nearly went in a completely different direction.
With McAfee now back in the mix alongside Orton and already mixing it up with Cody Rhodes, it’ll be interesting to see whether this is a short-term attraction tied to WrestleMania season—or something that sticks around longer than expected.
Pre-Show – 10-Person Mixed Tag Team Match
Wren Sinclair, Shiloh Hill, EK Prosper, Tank Ledger & Hank Walker def. Birth Right
A chaotic opener saw constant tags and brawling between all ten competitors. Despite interference and miscommunication among Birth Right, Hill scored the win with a cutter after a double-team setup from Walker and Ledger.
Stand & Deliver
NXT Women’s Championship – Triple Threat Match
Lola Vice (c) def. Jacy Jayne and Kendal Grey
All three women traded momentum throughout, with Grey nearly forcing a submission and Vice delivering heavy strikes. Vice ultimately capitalized on the chaos, hitting her finisher on Jayne to win the NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Vanity Project (c) def. Los Americanos
A back-and-forth tag bout featuring outside interference and illegal tactics. Los Americanos came close, but Vanity Project secured the win with a double-team finish to remain champions.
Singles Match
Sol Ruca def. Zaria
A physical contest that spilled to the outside and even onto the entrance ramp. Zaria dominated with power, but Ruca fought back and sealed the win with a top-rope Sol Snatcher.
NXT North American Championship Match
Myles Borne (c) def. Johnny Gargano
Gargano pushed Borne to the limit and nearly stole the win with help from Candice LeRae. Borne overcame the odds and finished Gargano to retain.
Post-match: Dion Lennox attacked Borne, laying him out with a chair.
Women’s North American Championship Match
Tatum Paxley (c) def. Blake Monroe
Monroe attempted to cheat by using the title belt while the referee was distracted, but Paxley kicked out and rallied to hit Cemetery Drive for the win.
NXT Championship – Fatal Four-Way Match
Tony D’Angelo def. Joe Hendry (c), Ethan Page, and Ricky Saints
A chaotic main event featuring constant action and multiple near falls. After a series of big spots involving the announce table, D’Angelo capitalized in the closing moments, hitting Hendry with a spear and chokeslam combination to win the NXT Championship.
Final Results Recap:
WWE finally pulled back the curtain on one of the more intriguing mysteries heading into WrestleMania 42, and the answer added a major twist to Randy Orton’s path to the Undisputed WWE Championship.
On this week’s episode of SmackDown from St. Louis, Orton’s hometown, it was revealed that Pat McAfee was the voice guiding “The Viper” during his recent backstage phone segments. But this wasn’t the same McAfee fans were used to—he returned with a noticeably more aggressive edge, aligning himself firmly with Orton and turning heel in the process.
The show kicked off with Orton addressing the crowd, making it clear he was fighting not just for himself, but for his family seated ringside. His attention quickly turned to Cody Rhodes, referencing Rhodes’ recent appearance on Raw. That confrontation didn’t take long to escalate, as Rhodes made his way to the ring and the two immediately came to blows.
That’s when things took a turn.
McAfee—sporting Orton merchandise—jumped into the fray and dropped Rhodes with a low blow, officially revealing himself as Orton’s backup. From there, McAfee unleashed a fiery promo, criticizing both Rhodes and the current state of WWE, while hyping Orton as the man destined to restore order. He even claimed responsibility for pushing Orton to “destroy everything” in his path.
The segment didn’t stop at just aligning with Orton. McAfee doubled down backstage, referring to Orton as the “GOAT” and reinforcing his belief that “The Legend Killer” is the one who can fix what he sees as a broken system under Rhodes’ leadership.
As if that wasn’t enough, McAfee took things a step further after the show by issuing a bold ultimatum on social media: if Orton fails to defeat Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, he’ll walk away from wrestling television entirely. The former commentator didn’t mince words, calling out fans while framing the match as one of the most important in wrestling history.
Interestingly, McAfee’s return comes after months of uncertainty regarding his WWE future. He previously cited burnout and suggested the industry might be better off without him. Now, he’s back in a major storyline with a completely different attitude—and a lot on the line.
Behind the scenes, reports indicate this pairing wasn’t a standard creative decision. Instead, the move reportedly came directly from TKO executive Ari Emanuel, who sees McAfee as a crossover star capable of boosting visibility for WWE’s biggest event of the year. There’s also hope that McAfee’s mainstream presence—especially through his ESPN platform—can help bring additional attention to WrestleMania weekend.
Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes isn’t backing down. After the attack, he returned later in the night with a chilling message of his own, hinting that he has “voices” guiding him as well—and suggesting Orton may not like what they’re telling him to do.
With Orton chasing his 15th world title, McAfee putting his career on the line, and Rhodes promising a darker side of himself, this WrestleMania clash is quickly becoming one of the most emotionally charged matchups on the card.
WWE SmackDown airs live tonight at 8/7c on the USA Network in the United States and Netflix Internationally from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
NXT Stand & Deliver – Saturday April 4 -The Factory at the District in St. Louis, MO – streaming live on YouTube at 7 ET/4 PT.
NXT Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints vs. Tony D’Angelo
NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice
NXT North American Championship: Myles Borne (c) vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Tag Team Championship: The Vanity Project (c) vs. Los Americanos
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Blake Monroe.
Sol Ruca vs. Zaria
Shiloh Hill, Wren Sinclair, Eli Knight and Hank & Tank vs. Birthright
Seth Rollins vs. GUNTHER Set for WrestleMania 42 as WWE Delays Major Rollins/Breakker Feud
With WrestleMania 42 quickly approaching, WWE has started locking in key pieces for the two-night event—and one newly announced matchup has definitely raised some eyebrows.
During this week’s episode of Raw, Seth Rollins finally learned his WrestleMania opponent, and it’s not who many fans were expecting. Instead of squaring off with the rising Bron Breakker, Rollins is now set to collide with GUNTHER on the grand stage.
The setup came in chaotic fashion. Rollins, still entangled in his ongoing issues with Paul Heyman, took things to another level by attacking Heyman with a steel chair and finishing him off with a Curb Stomp. However, before Rollins could stand tall for long, GUNTHER stormed in, dragging him out of the ring and launching a brutal assault of his own—officially igniting their WrestleMania program.
The choice of GUNTHER as Rollins’ opponent comes as a surprise, especially given the limited time remaining to build the feud, with only a couple of Raw episodes left before WrestleMania. Many had assumed WWE was heading toward a high-profile clash between Rollins and Breakker, particularly given their recent tension.
Interestingly, Breakker’s absence from the WrestleMania match card isn’t due to injury concerns. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Live, Breakker has already been medically cleared after spending time rehabbing at the WWE Performance Center. Instead, WWE reportedly made a strategic call to hold off on the Rollins vs. Breakker showdown, viewing it as a marquee program worth saving for a bigger stage down the line—potentially SummerSlam.
Meltzer also noted that the decision to insert GUNTHER into this spot wasn’t a last-minute pivot. Plans for him to face Rollins were reportedly put in motion weeks ago, particularly after Bronson Reed suffered an injury that forced WWE to reshuffle creative plans. At that point, someone affiliated with The Vision faction was slated to face Rollins, and GUNTHER ultimately landed in that role.
For context, Rollins’ issues with The Vision date back to last October, when the group turned on him and cast him out. Around that same time, Rollins was sidelined with a legitimate shoulder injury. He made his return at the Elimination Chamber premium live event, revealing himself as the mysterious masked figure who had been disrupting matches in the weeks leading up to the show.
While some fans may have expected a different opponent, Rollins vs. GUNTHER promises to be a hard-hitting encounter between two of WWE’s most intense competitors. Meanwhile, the delayed Rollins vs. Breakker feud could end up being an even bigger payoff if WWE gives it the time and spotlight it clearly believes it deserves.
WWE NXT tonight on The CW and Netflix internationally from the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
WWE is continuing its push to celebrate iconic matches, and this year’s Immortal Moment Award is going to one of the most legendary bouts in wrestling history. The company has officially announced that Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant from WrestleMania 3 will be honored at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Often referred to as “the slam heard around the world,” the 1987 clash remains one of the defining moments not just of WrestleMania, but of WWE as a whole. Hogan’s body slam of Andre in front of a massive crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome became an enduring image that helped shape the company’s global boom period.
WWE introduced the Immortal Moment Award last year as a way to recognize classic matches that left a lasting impact on the business. The inaugural honor went to Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13, and now Hogan vs. Andre joins that elite company.
Both competitors are already deeply etched into WWE history. Andre the Giant, who passed away in 1993 at the age of 46, was part of the very first Hall of Fame class that same year. This recognition marks another posthumous honor tied to his legacy. Hulk Hogan, who passed away last July following a heart attack, is now being associated with his third Hall of Fame recognition—having previously been inducted individually in 2005 and again in 2020 as a member of the nWo.
The match now becomes part of an already stacked WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Other names announced include Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, Dennis Rodman, Demolition, Sycho Sid, and Bad News Brown, making this one of the more diverse and headline-worthy classes in recent memory.
This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony is set for Friday, April 16, immediately following SmackDown. The event will take place at the Dolby Live venue inside Park MGM in Las Vegas, adding even more spectacle to WrestleMania weekend.
With Hogan vs. Andre officially getting its flowers, WWE continues leaning into nostalgia while cementing the moments that helped define generations of fans. And when it comes to truly “immortal” matches, it’s hard to argue with this choice.
With WrestleMania season heating up, any potential injury can raise alarms—and that’s exactly what happened to Nikki Bella following last week’s episode of SmackDown. Fortunately, the latest update suggests fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
During a chaotic tag team match featuring The Bella Twins against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, things broke down quickly. The Irresistible Forces, Nia Jax and her partner, stormed in after the match and laid out both teams, sparking a larger brawl that brought Bayley and Lyra Valkyria into the mix. While most of the women stood tall by the end of the segment, Nikki Bella was notably absent from the in-ring celebration.
The reason? A scary moment late in the match where Nikki appeared to tweak her ankle during an exchange with Nia Jax on the outside. She was seen limping and didn’t return to the action, instead being checked on by WWE medical staff as the segment wrapped up.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, the situation doesn’t appear to be serious. Nikki is reportedly “fine” despite the awkward landing, which is a welcome update given how close WWE is to its biggest show of the year.
Despite the scare, Nikki didn’t stay out of the spotlight for long. The Bella Twins made their presence felt on Monday Night Raw during the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match between The Irresistible Forces and the team of Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.
That match was already high-energy, with Bayley and Valkyria using speed and teamwork to counter the champions’ power. At one point, Bayley launched herself onto Nia Jax with a suicide dive, while Valkyria mixed in high-risk offense to keep the champs off balance. Still, the strength of the cha
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