Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes in a three-stages-of-hell match on the first Friday Night SmackDown episode of 2026. McIntyre then retained the title against Sami Zayn at the Royal Rumble and has been feuding with Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu on SmackDown. As WWE approaches WrestleMania 42, here are three major threats to Drew McIntyre’s title reign.
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes should have had a rematch clause for the WWE Title after losing it to McIntyre. However, McIntyre played with words in the contract they signed and legally assured that Rhodes would not be guaranteed a rematch clause. Rhodes decided to win the Rumble to get back in the title picture, but McIntyre illegally eliminated him and unceremoniously screwed him out of the Rumble.
Clearly, the feud between McIntyre and Rhodes is not finished. Rhodes is obsessed with getting his revenge, and he has not stopped giving McIntyre a hard time on SmackDown. He continues to brawl with him on a weekly basis until he gets a title shot. Elimination Chamber seems to be Cody’s last chance to punch his ticket to Mania, unless he pulls some strings with Nick Aldis and The Rock.
