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Original Finish Pitched For Championship Match At WWE Wrestlepalooza Reportedly Revealed

Both Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre reportedly pitched a very different ending to the main event of WWE Wrestlepalooza.
Rick Ucchino|
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes | WWE

The main event of WWE Wrestlepalooza this past Saturday night in Indianapolis saw Cody Rhodes defeat Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship.

The American Nightmare took advantage of a kayfabe knee injury and put the Scottish Warrior down with a Cross Rhodes after a relatively quick 17-minute match-up.

While Cody emerging victorious in the first title defense of his second reign was not surprising, it did result in a rather flat finish to a show that promised to deliver epic moments. It's now being reported by the folks at BodySlam that both champion and challenger had a much different ending to the show in mind.

"Sources indicate that both Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre pitched Randy Orton accidentally costing Rhodes the Undisputed WWE Championship. This would’ve set up Cody chasing the title once again and winning it back from Drew before Randy pulled the trigger and turned on Cody.

Ultimately, the decision was made by the creative team to have Rhodes beat McIntyre straight up.

It's possible the decision to bring back the Crown Jewel Championship played a factor in the result of the Wrestlepalooza main event. The WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion are set to meet at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia later this month.

Putting the WWE Championship on Drew McIntyre would have set up a heel vs. heel match-up on October 11. Instead, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will now rekindle their rivalry in a battle for bragging rights.

Another interesting note from BodySlam regarding Wrestlepalooza was that as of Saturday morning, John Cena was scheduled to defeat Brock Lesnar. Why the ending was changed the day of the show remains unclear, but this was another match that fell flat for many fans and critics.

The Beast essentially squashed the Never Seen 17-Time World Champion, with just five dates left before his retirement.

MORE: ESPN Writer Gives Brutal Grade To WWE Wrestlepalooza

WWE Wrestlepalooza Results

Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes | WWE
  • Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena
  • Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed defeated The Usos with LA Knight as the special guest referee
  • Stephanie Vaquer defeated IYO SKY to become the new Women's World Champion
  • AJ Lee & CM Punk defeated Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship

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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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