3 Possible Finishes For Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre On WWE SmackDown

Who will win the highly anticipated Undisputed WWE Championship Match on SmackDown?

Randy Orton won the 2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber Match last weekend in Chicago, but his victory wasn’t without controversy.

That’s because Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre once again set his sights on Cody Rhodes, with ‘The Scottish Warrior’ hitting a Claymore on the former champion. Orton then hit an RKO on Rhodes to score the win.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis has decided to give Rhodes another opportunity at the title ahead of WrestleMania 42, and there are several intriguing possibilities for how the match could unfold.

Here are three possible finishes for the Rhodes vs. McIntyre match.

Jacob Fatu interferes to cost Drew McIntyre

An appearance from ‘The Samoan Werewolf’ seems inevitable.

During the match between Jacob Fatu and Logan Paul on last week’s SmackDown, McIntyre interfered to cost Fatu his spot in the Elimination Chamber Match. So, Fatu returning the favor by costing McIntyre his championship would be a logical next step in their rivalry.

Would that set up Orton vs. Rhodes and McIntyre vs. Fatu at WrestleMania? Maybe, maybe not.

If WWE goes that route, McIntyre would have a claim to a rematch, and Fatu would still have an argument for a title shot, given how the Elimination Chamber qualifier against Paul played out.

Perhaps a Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania?

Cody Rhodes straight up wins

This option seems less likely, but it’s worth consideration.

Should Fatu not play a significant role in the outcome of the match, then it comes down to which combination WWE wants for the WrestleMania Night 1 main event.

Is it Orton vs. McIntyre, or Orton vs. Rhodes? The winner is clear when deciding which is the bigger attraction in WWE’s eyes. It was reported on Tuesday that Orton vs. Rhodes seems to be the frontrunner for WrestleMania.

It has been a slow burn to get to the eventual feud between Orton and Rhodes, but after Orton took advantage of McIntyre’s interference in the Elimination Chamber, the tension has to be simmering between the longtime friends.

Of course, the issue with this scenario is that McIntyre is left out of the title match, which would be disappointing for many fans given that he just won the championship back in January.

Drew McIntyre retains with a surprising twist

In the first two scenarios, Rhodes wins. So, what about a scenario where McIntyre retains the title? That’s where things get interesting.

Here’s why: Rhodes is going to be in the match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.

At this point, it’s just about the story of how he gets there.

Fatu inadvertently cost Rhodes the championship in the aforementioned 3 Stages Of Hell Match that saw McIntyre regain the gold, so a repeat of that is possible but unlikely since you’d have to reward Rhodes yet another opportunity without him actually winning.

Meanwhile, there are wild card players such as Orton and Sami Zayn who could factor into the match.

Orton “accidentally” costing Rhodes would be the spark needed for an eventual meltdown by the latter, but again, there would be little wiggle room to justify putting Rhodes in the title match at WrestleMania.

Zayn’s story is fascinating after yet another loss to McIntyre back at the Royal Rumble, and his recent backstage arguments with Rhodes on SmackDown could lead to a surprising development where he is a key figure in the match.

If none of those options allow McIntyre to keep the title, there’s always the good ‘ol non-finish where McIntyre intentionally gets himself disqualified, both men get counted out, or even a double pin.

In any of these scenarios, there should be more clarity for these top superstars on the road to WrestleMania 42 and beyond.