Big Revelation After Drew McIntyre Loses The Undisputed WWE Title

Drew McIntyre kicked off 2026 in style by beating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on January 9.

During the SmackDown taping, both superstars competed in a 3 Stages of Hell match, with McIntyre setting all three stipulations—traditional wrestling match, Falls County Anywhere, and Steel Cage match.

With them winning one fall each, the final fall was completed inside a cage. However, in the closing minutes, Jacob Fatu arrived and caused a distraction, inadvertently costing Rhodes his title.

Drew McIntyre seemed determined to ensure Cody Rhodes never became the #1 Contender again. So, he interfered in the Royal Rumble match as well as the Elimination Chamber match, costing The American Nightmare a way back into the title picture.

These interferences became a problem for the SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, who forced The Scottish Warrior to defend his belt against Rhodes on March 6.

This time around, Rhodes defeated McIntyre. While the result may have shocked the supporters of the Scotsman, he himself had suspicions about dropping the title before WrestleMania 42.

Drew McIntyre Aware Of Dropping WWE Championship Before WrestleMania

WrestleMania 42 is just under six weeks away, where Cody Rhodes will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.

As for Drew McIntyre, he might be featured in a singles match against Jacob Fatu.

A report by Self Made Pro of Self Made Sessions also reveals that the 40-year-old was fully aware that he would be dropping the title ahead of the Show of Shows, scheduled for April 18 & 19.

Drew McIntyre, according to sources close to him, would have contemplated maybe just taking some time off had he not beaten Cody for the belt at the start of the year.

Throughout this entire process, Drew was very much aware of the possibility, and in some cases even the likelihood, that he was going to drop the championship during Mania season. So he’s not surprised or mind-blown that it’s happened. He was aware of what this reign was going to be. [H/T: Ringside News]

Drew’s loss on SmackDown earned WWE a severe backlash, with the video of Cody winning the championship becoming the most disliked on the company’s YouTube page.