WWE Narrowing WrestleMania 42 Plans for WWE Title Match

WrestleMania 42 plans are heating up, and the WWE Championship picture is finally taking shape.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE creative is currently down to two scenarios—and both center around new champion Drew McIntyre and former titleholder Cody Rhodes. Meltzer revealed the current pitches on the table:

“The two ideas for Mania at this point are a three-way for the title with Rhodes, Fatu and McIntyre, or just McIntyre vs. Rhodes.”

The potential inclusion of Jacob Fatu stems from his shocking interference during the recent Three Stages of Hell match on SmackDown, where his actions ultimately helped McIntyre dethrone Rhodes. From a booking standpoint, a straight-up rematch may be the cleaner path. Meltzer broke down the creative logic behind keeping it one-on-one:

“The straight match is easier because there has to be a single winner at the Rumble and at the Chamber (for CM Punk or whoever the other champion is), so Rhodes winning the Chamber (could be Rumble but my gut is Chamber makes the most sense) would get him in.”

But if WWE wants to spice things up with a triple threat, Meltzer says that wouldn’t be hard to book: “There are always ways to get Fatu in if need be.”

That keeps the door wide open for the “Samoan Werewolf” to make his WrestleMania main event debut in a blockbuster showdown against two of WWE’s biggest stars.

With the Royal Rumble set for January 31, the road to WrestleMania will become much clearer in the next few weeks. Whether it’s a classic singles clash or an all-out war with Fatu in the mix, McIntyre’s title defense on the grandest stage of them all is shaping up to be must-see.