Cody Rhodes Wins WWE Title On SmackDown; WrestleMania 42 Match Set (WWE News)
Drew McIntyre's title reigns ends on WWE SmackDown; Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton incoming at 'Mania.
Cody Rhodes pinned Drew McIntyre to earn his third WWE Title on Friday's episode of SmackDown. The pair's latest showdown had been announced by GM Nick Aldis following Cody's disappointment at Elimination Chamber - Randy Orton won that match, so Aldis set up Rhodes vs. McIntyre for TV.
That irked a few fans, but the bout happened on SmackDown and Cody took home the win.
Jacob Fatu, who has been warring with both (but mainly McIntyre) lately, showed up to get involved. That led to Drew dropping his prize after 57 days in the championship hot seat. He'd previously triumphed following a lengthy '3 Stages Of Hell' epic vs. Rhodes on the 9 January episode in Berlin, Germany. Fatu ran in on that one too.
Now, the stage is set: Old Legacy stablemates Cody and Orton will collide in one of the main matches at WrestleMania 42. WWE has revealed a brand new graphic for the bout, so it's official. Any talk of the WWE Champ (Drew or Cody) defending in a multi-man scenario can be put to bed.
It's far more likely that McIntyre tangles with Fatu before taking a sabbatical from the company to film his scenes for the new Highlander movie. Meanwhile, Triple H will rely on Rhodes to carry things as top babyface. Of course, that's assuming he stays baby after 'Mania.
WWE's road to WrestleMania has been littered with changes. Some have been brought on by injuries, but others show a lack of clear direction from the writers. As previously reported, 'The Game' and his staff decided they wanted to go with Cody vs. Randy around a month ago, but Drew wasn't informed he'd be losing the title until last week.
Regardless, Rhodes vs. Orton is officially on the card for Las Vegas in April.