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Major Update on Drew McIntyre's Plans for WrestleMania 42

Will the Scottish Warrior head into WrestleMania 42 as the WWE Champion? Here's the latest on what's being said about Drew McIntyre's creative direction.
Rick Ucchino|
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre | WWE

Will Drew McIntyre still be the WWE Champion after this Friday's episode of SmackDown goes off the air? Potential spoilers ahead for those who would rather remain surprised.

After costing Cody Rhodes opportunities to win both the Men's Royal Rumble Match and the Men's Elimination Chamber Match, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis is forcing the Scottish Warrior to defend his title against the American Nightmare on the March 6 edition of the Blue Brand in Portland, Oregon.

Word surfaced on Tuesday that the plan is for Rhodes to win the WWE Title for the third time in his career, and move on to defend it against his old mentor Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 next month.

Prior to last weekend's Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, it appeared that the WWE creative team was building toward some kind of multi-man match at this year's 'Showcase of the Immortals'. The folks over at BodySlam are reporting, however, that plans regarding the WWE Championship were recently re-evaluated.

"Sources indicate to Bodyslam that discussions began regarding Orton vs Rhodes around the beginning of February to shake things up for WrestleMania season and give a pay off to the teases over the last few years. Rhodes and McIntyre didn't officially find out about the change until last week."

With Rhodes versus Orton the reported plan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42, BodySlam is saying that McIntyre is slated for a one-on-one match against Jacob Fatu inside Allegiant Stadium. He's then scheduled to begin filming for the new Highlander movie shortly afterward.

McIntyre and Fatu were scheduled to feud with each other prior to the Samoan Werewolf needing to take time off due to injury last fall. He was taken out backstage by a mystery attacker as a way to write him off television, and the Scottish Warrior has long been the prime suspect in the assault — even though he's maintained his innocence. 

Fatu returned to television in January and inadvertently helped McIntyre win the WWE Title from Cody Rhodes in Three Stages of Hell.

Other recent WrestleMania rumors have some combination of Brock Lesnar, Oba Femi and Gunther working together, as well as Sami Zayn and Trick Williams facing each other in a singles match-up.

Current WrestleMania 42 card (announced):

CM Punk and Roman Reigns
CM Punk and Roman Reigns | Netflix
  • CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship
  • Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship
  • Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
  • Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women's Championship
  • Brock Lesnar Open Challenge

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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