Creative Force Behind Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre’s SmackDown Opening Segment Unveiled

WWE has a creative team working behind the scenes to shape the stories told on television. The February 14 episode of SmackDown opened with a segment that moved very important storylines along as Elimination Chamber prepares to take over Toronto.

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre kicked off the show with a promo that featured a lot of quick responses, some of which were a bit savage. McIntyre is set to compete in the Elimination Chamber match on March 1, and he made it clear that he wants to challenge Rhodes at WrestleMania. The segment took another turn when Jacob Fatu got involved. After getting over big time with fans, Fatu stopped Rhodes from leaving the ring to confront Solo Sikoa as he arrived, saying he had family business to handle first.

Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that a few key people backstage in WWE were involved in producing this segment. The team behind it included people with years of experience in the ring and behind the scenes.

Michael Kirshenbaum was credited with writing the promo between Rhodes and McIntyre. WWE promos are usually tightly scripted, but the script was also written perfectly for the Scottish Warrior and The American Nightmare.

Former WWE stars Jamie Noble and Bobby Roode also played a role in producing the segment. Both have moved into backstage roles after their in-ring careers wrapped up. They are not seen on screen, but the two are still very much still with the company.

We will have to see who wins the 2025 Men’s Elimination Chamber match. The opening segment of SmackDown this week certainly helped hype that big match. Ringside News will have all the updates you need as the big night approaches.