Steve Carrier on January 12, 2026
Drew McIntyre leaving SmackDown with the Undisputed WWE Championship wasn’t just a creative twist for shock value. The finish was carefully constructed for one specific reason: WWE wanted the title on Drew without damaging Cody Rhodes in the process.
That’s the real story behind the chaotic Three Stages of Hell main event on the January 9, 2026 episode of SmackDown.
The match structure itself tells the story. Drew stole the first fall quickly with underhanded tactics, Cody fought back in the second fall with an extreme, physical performance that even included a balcony dive, and the final fall inside the steel cage collapsed into disorder once Jacob Fatu returned and attacked both men. Drew escaped with the championship, but not in a way that positioned Cody as beaten.
The logic behind that choice is now clear. WWE felt Drew could not afford to lose to Cody again after already being defeated twice clean. Another loss would have damaged his credibility at the exact moment the company is positioning him as the top champion heading into WrestleMania season. At the same time, there was strong resistance to beating Cody outright, which explains why the finish bent over backwards to protect him.
That’s how you end up with a championship change that looks messy on purpose. The goal wasn’t clean storytelling. The goal was to crown Drew, keep Cody strong, and reintroduce Jacob Fatu into the main event picture all in one night.
The downside is that the story now feels clouded. Fans are questioning why Fatu attacked Cody if his issue was supposedly with Drew. The alignment is unclear. The motivations are unclear. The finish accomplished the business objective, but it created storytelling confusion that WWE now has to repair in the weeks ahead.
There’s also context behind the direction. The idea of Drew, Cody, and Fatu being linked in the main event scene has been on the table before. This match and its finish appear to be a pivot back toward that direction now that Fatu is physically able to be used.
When you strip it down, the booking decision wasn’t random and it wasn’t incompetence. It was calculated. WWE wanted Drew as champion. WWE didn’t want Cody weakened. WWE wanted Fatu back in the spotlight. The finish was built to serve all three goals at once, even if it came at the expense of clean logic in the moment. Now the pressure is on creative to make it all make sense on television.
Do you think WWE made the right call protecting Cody while crowning Drew, or should they have committed to a decisive finish instead? Share your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments.
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