In a moment that nobody saw coming, Drew McIntyre dethroned Cody Rhodes to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion, and it all came about as a result of a huge return that backfired.
The main event of SmackDown on January 9 saw the WWE Championship defended in a Three Stages of Hell match. The first match was a regular singles bout, the second was a Falls Count Anywhere match, and the third was a Steel Cage match. McIntyre picked up a win in the straightforward singles match to go 1-0 before Cody Rhodes dug deep and evened the score at 1-1 in the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation. Many assumed that in the Steel Cage match, Cody Rhodes would step up and complete the comeback, routing McIntyre and ending their feud for good.
However, that’s not what happened at all. At the climax of the match, a figure in a black hoodie appeared as Drew McIntyre exited the cage, and he was revealed to be the returning Jacob Fatu, who had been attacked months ago and had been absent since then. While he stopped McIntyre from exiting, Fatu turned his attention towards Cody Rhodes, and this moment allowed Drew McIntyre to escape from the door, winning the match and the Undisputed WWE Championship in the process.
🚨 AND NEWWWWWWW 🚨
DREW MCINTYRE IS FINALLY THE NEW UNDISPUTED CHAMPION 😭🔥#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/6RQF4zzce4
— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) January 9, 2026
Naturally, Cody Rhodes was in disbelief, asking Fatu what he had done. Drew McIntyre is now a four-time world champion, and this time his reign is going to last longer than five minutes. It certainly comes as a huge surprise, as the feud has been extremely one-sided so far in favor of Cody Rhodes.
With that said, an immediate rematch is unlikely to be on the cards. WWE announced that a #1 contender’s title tournament will begin next week, with the winners of the four matches going on to a Fatal Four-Way final. The winner of that match will challenge the WWE Champion at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
