WWE has reportedly made notable adjustments to its WrestleMania 42 main event direction following a major championship change on SmackDown.
On January 9, 2026, Cody Rhodes defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in a brutal Three Stages of Hell match. The bout ended with McIntyre capturing the title after interference from Jacob Fatu—a finish that was reportedly designed to pivot WWE’s creative plans heading into its biggest event of the year.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original WrestleMania direction likely called for a third high-profile showdown between Rhodes and Roman Reigns. However, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque (Triple H) reportedly reconsidered that approach.
“The way it was explained is that Paul Levesque [Triple H] took another look at the [Royal] Rumble-to-Mania planned direction and decided that doing a Rhodes vs. [Roman] Reigns match for the third time in four years, and spending months building that direction, would lead to audience fatigue.”
Meltzer added that Rhodes himself was involved in discussions about the shift. The “American Nightmare” reportedly weighed the creative value of chasing the championship versus entering WrestleMania as the defending champion.
“Rhodes brought up McIntyre at the same time and asked for advice on whether it made sense, and if he would be more valuable chasing than defending, and eventually decided that chasing would be better.”
With the title now held by the “Scottish Warrior,” WWE’s creative team is reportedly narrowing down options for the marquee WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 42. Meltzer noted that the two leading ideas are McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu in a Triple Threat match, or a more traditional McIntyre vs. Rhodes singles bout.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns’ path to WrestleMania remains unclear. As of now, Reigns is said to be “the odd man out of the WWE title picture,” leaving his role for WrestleMania 42 uncertain as the Road to WrestleMania officially gets underway.
With the Royal Rumble looming, WWE’s top-level plans appear fluid—setting the stage for potential surprises as the company reshapes its biggest matches of the year.
