The stakes are officially locked in for Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre as their rivalry heads into a decisive showdown.

On Friday’s WWE SmackDown, Rhodes was shown searching backstage for McIntyre, only to come up empty. The situation escalated once Rhodes made his way to the ring, where McIntyre finally appeared on screen from near Rhodes’ bus. From there, McIntyre laid out the stipulations for their upcoming WWE Championship match, which will take place next week in Berlin.

McIntyre confirmed the bout will be contested under Three Stages of Hell rules. The opening fall will be a standard wrestling match. If the contest continues, the second fall will be falls count anywhere. Should a third fall be necessary, the championship will be decided inside a steel cage.

McIntyre was far from finished after the announcement. He repeatedly tried to provoke Rhodes into attacking him, which would have resulted in Rhodes being stripped of the WWE Championship. McIntyre then revealed he had earlier been inside Rhodes’ bus, where he found a framed photograph of Rhodes and his father from the early days of Cody’s WWE career. McIntyre smashed the frame on the ground, prompting Rhodes to storm backstage in search of him.

When McIntyre reappeared, he was standing in the ring with the damaged photo and a lighter in hand. A furious Rhodes rushed back toward ringside but was restrained by security as McIntyre set the picture on fire and tossed it into a trash can, continuing to taunt the champion as officials struggled to regain control.

Also announced for next week’s show is a major eight man tag team match, with the Wyatt Sicks set to face the MFTs. In addition, Trick Williams will make his SmackDown in ring debut against Rey Fenix following their confrontation on Friday night.

WWE SmackDown January 9

Three Stages of Hell for the WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre

Eight man tag team match
Wyatt Sicks vs The MFTs

Singles match
Trick Williams vs Rey Fenix