• Original Plan For WWE Title Match On January 9th SmackDown
While Drew McIntyre is currently celebrating his fourth world championship reign in WWE, the path to his victory on the January 9th episode of SmackDown was nearly very different.
New details have emerged suggesting that the high-stakes clash in Berlin was never meant to be a one-on-one encounter between McIntyre and Cody Rhodes.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, WWE’s original creative blueprint featured a massive Triple Threat match. The plan was to have McIntyre and Rhodes share the ring with Jacob Fatu.
However, these plans were scrapped after Fatu was forced off television for an extended period due to a serious dental injury. With Fatu unavailable, WWE pivoted to the 3 Stages of Hell format that fans ultimately witnessed.
The change in direction proved to be a career-defining moment for The Scottish Psychopath. In a match that culminated inside a steel cage, Fatu made a shocking, unannounced return, attacking both men. Despite the interference, McIntyre capitalized on the chaos to escape the cage and win the Undisputed WWE Championship.
As Alvarez noted, Fatu’s return has effectively placed the storyline right back where it was intended to be months ago, setting up a volatile three-way power struggle as the road to WrestleMania 42 begins.
• Major Match Reportedly Canceled For WrestleMania 42
The landscape of WrestleMania 42 has been completely upended following the massive title change on the January 9 episode of SmackDown. While fans have spent months anticipating a third encounter between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, new reports suggest that the trilogy is no longer the plan for Las Vegas.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the entire creative direction for WWE’s biggest show of the year shifted on January 7th, just two days before Drew McIntyre defeated Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Meltzer revealed that the decision to put the gold on McIntyre was a last-minute call that forced a total rewrite of the WrestleMania main event scene. As a result, the long-awaited Reigns vs. Rhodes trilogy has reportedly been scrapped.
In its place, WWE is exploring several high-stakes alternatives. One major possibility being discussed is a Triple Threat match involving Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and the recently returned Jacob Fatu. While this three-way battle isn’t locked in for WrestleMania 42 specifically, it is currently the primary focus for the top of the SmackDown brand.
