Strong Internal Push for Drew McIntyre to Dethrone Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown

There’s a strong internal push for Drew McIntyre to dethrone Cody Rhodes and become the Undisputed WWE Champion during this week’s SmackDown.

Speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro revealed that WWE creative has been heavily leaning toward a major title change on the January 9, 2026 episode from Berlin’s Uber Arena, where McIntyre and Rhodes will collide in a Three Stages of Hell match.

“I was told to expect a title change this week, so that’s interesting. I was told that one of the world titles is changing this week — yes, the Three Stages of Hell match on SmackDown.”

It was also noted that the support for the Scottish Warrior’s win wasn’t just a passing idea — it had significant backing as of last week.

“There are significant voices in creative actively pushing for Drew McIntyre to beat Cody Rhodes in this match. That was as of last week. By this point, I’d imagine the decision has been made as to where they’re going, but I know that as of last week, there were significant voices pushing hard for Drew McIntyre to go over. Ultimately, it’s Paul Levesque’s call.”

The brutal Three Stages of Hell match is already stacked — a traditional match, followed by a falls count anywhere brawl, and finally a steel cage bout to end it all. With so much at stake, a title change in Berlin could shake up WWE’s main event picture heading into the Royal Rumble. If Drew McIntyre does walk out of Berlin with the gold, it would mark a massive shift in WWE’s top-tier storytelling—and Cody Rhodes’ title reign could end just like that.

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