On Saturday, September 20th, WWE will be returning to Indianapolis, IN, for its big event, “Wrestlepalooza.” This event marks the first-ever PLE to be broadcast on ESPN+ for the United States. The show will be headlined by John Cena and Brock Lesnar locking horns one final time. However, there’s another big match that fans should keep their eyes on.
Cody Rhodes will be defending his newly won Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. Rhodes won the title back at “Summerslam” against Cena in a big match for the ages. While it seems like Rhodes’ run is just getting underway again, McIntyre more than deserves the win here.
Drew McIntyre Should Defeat Cody Rhodes at WWE Wrestlepalooza
First and foremost, this event is WWE’s big introduction to the ESPN realm. This means expectations for this show are truly higher than ever, and lots of big moments could be happening. One of the big moments that should happen is McIntyre becoming the new Undisputed WWE Champion, kicking off the WWE on ESPN era.
This is a move that could potentially put SmackDown in a whole new direction. However, it would surely be a welcome move. With how poor SmackDown has been lately, this could be the catalyst that kicks off a new, more fun era of SmackDown. Despite how over Rhodes was a while back, it seems like that ship has sailed for the time being.
While it’s not always cut-and-dry, WWE has had something special in the “Scottish Warrior” for a long time. McIntyre carried the promotion during one of the worst eras in all of professional wrestling, the “Thunderdome” era. When the world was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McIntyre did his best work.
Still, five years later, McIntyre is searching for his big moment in front of fans. He captured the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar. What was arguably one of the biggest moments of his career, happened in an empty arena. McIntyre more than deserves a run as the top guy in the promotion with fans in attendance. And yes, the championship win at WrestleMania 40 doesn’t count since he lost it five minutes later to Damian Priest.
Would WWE be willing to pull the trigger on a show like “Wrestlepalooza” or will they stick to their guns and keep Rhodes atop the mountain? Fingers crossed we see a change on the SmackDown brand, that it so desperately needs. As a Rhodes fan, it would be best to keep him out of the title picture for a little bit, at least until SmackDown becomes watchable again.
Putting the championship on McIntyre would be arguably the biggest shock moment that WWE could pull on Saturday. It could open up a brand new avenue of storylines and fresh faces getting opportunities. So, while it would be the right call to put the Undisputed WWE Championship on McIntyre, the question that remains is will they?
McIntyre has been one of the best on the entire roster of WWE. The work he’s put in during all of his feuds more than makes him deserving of having a healthy run as the Undisputed WWE Champion. Some may even argue that he carried WWE last year with his amazing rivalry with CM Punk. This gave WWE some must-see TV.
WWE should open the show with McIntyre and Rhodes for the top prize, since Cena and Lesnar are closing it. The ESPN+ era should start with a massive title change, and McIntyre should truly be given his chance. It remains to be seen what will happen, but one thing we know for sure is McIntyre deserves it.
