Subhojeet Mukherjee on March 9, 2026
The backlash to Cody Rhodes winning the Undisputed WWE Championship has been loud online — but according to a new report, it hasn’t shaken WWE internally at all.
WrestleVotes addressed WWE’s internal reaction during a March 9, 2026 Q&A session after being asked whether the company was concerned about the negative fan response to Rhodes defeating Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the March 6 episode of SmackDown. According to WrestleVotes, despite the loud criticism online, the mood behind the scenes in WWE is very different.
“No real backlash. People backstage aren’t really displeased that Cody Rhodes is back on top, the guy who’s led the company for the past couple of years.”
WrestleVotes also explained that the debate happening among fans simply isn’t something most WWE talent are paying attention to: “It’s not on the minds of any of the talent at all to have an opinion on who should be champion and how WWE books it.”
This comes after Rhodes faced heavy criticism online for his title win and his tweet celebrating the fact that he’ll be main eventing WrestleMania for the fourth year in a row. The reaction from fans was brutal, with many still arguing that Drew McIntyre should have entered WrestleMania as champion instead.
The controversy also followed the March 6 episode of SmackDown receiving a shockingly low 1.91 rating on Cagematch — the lowest score for any WWE show in 2026 so far. Still, none of that appears to be changing WWE’s plans. Rhodes is currently set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas and it’s clear the company isn’t budging.
What do you think about WWE reportedly brushing off the backlash to Cody Rhodes winning the championship? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
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