Cody Rhodes said to be a “virtual lock” as a challenger for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 42

Cody Rhodes is the betting odds favorite to win the 2026 men’s WWE Elimination Chamber match and challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 42. In regards to plans for the WWE Title match at WrestleMania, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com noted the following…

“It’s a virtual lock Rhodes would be involved in that. Whether it’s a singles match or a three-way with Jacob Fatu, or even more that would involve Randy Orton, Sami Zayn or others is unclear, and may not even be finalized. What we have been told is that a match involving more than three people is not being talked about right now. So it is still Rhodes and if someone is added, at this point, it would only be Fatu. My impression is that this has already been decided even though plans for the rest of the show are being rewritten.”

Meltzer added that there has been frustration over the original plans being scrapped, and the decision to move forward with McIntyre vs. Rhodes as a singles match has drawn criticism. Some reportedly feel the bout is too predictable, especially considering the two have already had multiple singles matches in recent months.