Latest On Drew McIntyre's WWE Title Win And What It Could Mean For WrestleMania 42

Unless you went out and partied pretty hard Friday night, you know by now that Drew McIntyre is once again the WWE Champion.

The Scottish Warrior defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell Match on SmackDown thanks to an unintended assist from the returning Jacob Fatu.

In the weeks leading up to the title change, WWE did a great job of distracting fans from the possibility of McIntyre winning by teasing numerous future opponents for Rhodes. Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, Matt Cardona, Damian Priest and others all warned the American Nightmare that they would be waiting for him after he was finished with McIntyre. Turns out, at least for now, Rhodes is finished with the WWE Championship.

The folks over at Bodyslam reported Friday evening that the pitch for McIntyre to win the gold came from both himself and Cody Rhodes. In an update, the outlet is reporting that multiple pitches were made for the finish and a final decision wasn't made until late in the day.

"Sources indicate to Bodyslam that the talent involved in the main event weren't informed of the direction that the company was going for the finish until a few hours prior to the match. There were a few different pitches for the finish but the one that they ultimately went with was McIntyre becoming champion with the accidental help of Jacob Fatu."

McIntyre's victory Friday night was a major curveball for the previously reported plans for WrestleMania 42. News began to surface late last year that WWE was discussing Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns III for The 'Showcase of the Immortals' this April, but if that match does still happen, it is no longer a guarantee that it will be for the WWE Championship.

WWE has opened up several new options for WrestleMania 42

The upcoming Men's Royal Rumble Match on Saturday, January 31 just became very intriguing. With Cody Rhodes as WWE Champion, that match would have had two clear front runners in Roman Reigns (the aforementioned planned opponent for Rhodes) and Bron Breakker. Perhaps Gunther as well, but it's too difficult to pinpoint his trajectory for Mania just yet.

Now that he's relinquished the NXT Championship and is main roster bound, Oba Femi has to be considered a threat to win the Royal Rumble regardless of who holds which title. But with McIntyre as the WWE Champion, that list of potential winners has ballooned to include Jacob Fatu, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes and maybe even someone like LA Knight.

It's possible that Cody Rhodes wins the WWE Championship back from McIntyre ahead of WrestleMania, but the creative team doesn't have to go that route. And it sounds as though they are leaving all their options on the table, according to BodySlam.

The NEW Undisputed WWE Champ @DMcIntyreWWE has touched down in Glasgow 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ghxci6l8zl
— WWE (@WWE) January 10, 2026

"WWE is looking to have a different approach to the Road to WrestleMania this year and crowning McIntyre opens up a few different stories leading to Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 42.

Drew McIntyre's first defense of his WWE Championship will happen at the Royal Rumble. He'll face the winner of a No. 1 Contender's Tournament that will begin this coming Friday on SmackDown.

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