Triple H and WWE CEO Nick Khan are standing by the decision to put Pat McAfee in the WrestleMania 42 main event, even as fans and analysts say the move has dragged the match down. The Saturday main event is scheduled for April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Khan said this week that the two main events at WrestleMania 42 have real heat and that WWE believes blurred lines between reality and predetermined outcomes usually deliver. He said the addition of McAfee means both main events should overdeliver, while Triple H argued that McAfee gets people talking and that talk is a good thing.
The reaction around the angle has been sharp. Critics have argued that WWE has undercut the WrestleMania Saturday main event by adding McAfee, with the storyline framed around Randy Orton saving WWE from bad business metrics while Cody Rhodes remains on top. But WWE is betting on the kind of response it says matters most: the one the show gets after the bell.
Triple H said WrestleMania 42 will be an amazing show and that it will deliver on all levels. Khan made the same basic point in more corporate language, saying the company sees value in heat and in the blur between what is real and what is scripted. For WWE, the question is no longer whether the move has sparked debate. It has. The real test comes on April 18, when the company finds out whether the controversy turns into the kind of attention it wanted.
