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LAS VEGAS– Cody Rhodes was in hot water earlier this month after Pat McAfee was inserted into his WrestleMania 42 feud with Randy Orton just days before their match was scheduled to begin.
Kit Wilson was the punching bag after McAfee kicked Rhodes in the groin, destroyed the pro wrestling business and declared Orton was going to save him. Wilson had just finished a match with The Miz against Damian Priest and R-Truth when Rhodes rushed into the ring.
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Kit Wilson reads his newspaper during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida on February 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE/Getty Images)
Rhodes targeted Wilson with a Cross Rhodes and cut the scathing promo on McAfee.
Wilson told PK Press Club Digital that he didn’t know Rhodes was coming and that he would be targeted. However, he welcomed Rhodes’ message.
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Cody Rhodes is in the ring during SmackDown at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“I was just trying to look out for my mentor, The Miz. I was just trying to do the right thing by him. Yeah, I didn’t know that was going to happen,” Wilson said. “It was interesting because I think Cody spoke from the heart and what he had to say was quite informative and important in the current zeitgeist of the world.”
Wilson said he thought Rhodes’ decision to get angry with him was “toxic”, but that he had no ill will towards “The American Nightmare”.
“So yeah, I think he was dumping on me,” Wilson continued. “I don’t like it. I think it was toxic. But I see the side of him that had a lot to say. In my own way, I think I’ve forgiven him.”
Kit Wilson makes his entrance during SmackDown at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY on January 2, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
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Rhodes and Orton will battle for the undisputed WWE title on the first night of WrestleMania 42. McAfee will certainly be at ringside in Orton’s corner, much to the chagrin of Rhodes and the fans.
