Drew McIntyre Wins WWE Title On SmackDown; Jacob Fatu Returns (WWE News)
Jacob Fatu accidentally helped cause a HUGE WWE Title change in Berlin, Germany.
Drew McIntyre beat Cody Rhodes in an epic '3 Stages Of Hell' main event to win the WWE Title on this week's episode of SmackDown, and a returning Jacob Fatu helped him do it. Fatu's aid was accidental, but it's still something that'll be brought up by everyone going forwards - especially Rhodes.
The first fall, which was a standard wrestling bout, was won by McIntyre. For the second, a 'Falls Count Anywhere' scenario, Cody equalised to make it 1-1 when he hit his Cross Rhodes finish on top of the announce desk for the pin. Come the third fall inside a steel cage, Fatu hit the scene just as Drew looked set to escape through the door.
McIntyre was horrified when he spotted the man he'd put on the shelf months ago with a backstage attack, but Jacob scuffled with Cody (after initially seeking revenge on Drew) and that allowed the heel challenger to crawl out for the win and the title after 31 minutes of action.
This is McIntyre's third stint as WWE Champ, and his first since 2021. It ends Cody's second stint in the hot seat at 159 days, which falls well short of his first run's whopping 378-day length.
Many critics and fans alike pointed out that Drew probably had to win '3 Stages'. It feels like he's been the top title bridesmaid for far too long, and it might've been a nightmare for creative to build him back up had he lost again over in Berlin, Germany on SmackDown.
To summarise, Fatu is back on TV and McIntyre is the beneficiary. He's the brand new WWE Champion.