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Backstage news regarding the finish of Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre from WWE SmackDown

Aaron Rift

As seen during the January 9th 2026 edition of WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in a “Three Stages of Hell” match. McIntyre ended up winning the title after interference from Jacob Fatu.

According to a report from BodySlam.net on Friday, there was an internal push within WWE to have McIntyre dethrone Cody. After the match aired, BodySlam reported that both Cody and McIntyre once again pitched a WWE Title change, similar to what they had proposed around WrestlePalooza. WWE ultimately decided that the time was right and pulled the trigger, crowning McIntyre as the new champion.

Four WWE title qualifying matches will take place next week, with the winners advancing to a fatal four-way match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The winner of that match will earn a WWE title opportunity at the Royal Rumble. The qualifying bouts are Randy Orton vs. The Miz, Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov.

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