Drew McIntyre walked out of Berlin as the new Undisputed WWE Champion on Friday night, closing a dramatic international edition of SmackDown with gold around his waist. The Scottish Warrior defeated Cody Rhodes in a grueling Three Stages of Hell match to capture his third reign with the championship, capitalizing on pure chaos in the final moments.

The deciding fall took place inside a steel cage and completely unraveled when Jacob Fatu made his long awaited return. Fatu stormed the cage and laid out both men, igniting a wild brawl with Rhodes. As the two traded blows, McIntyre quickly realized the opportunity in front of him and escaped the structure, securing the victory and ending Rhodes’ reign in shocking fashion.

According to BodySlam.net, the title change was not a last minute decision. There had reportedly been significant internal support within WWE for McIntyre to dethrone Rhodes. The report notes that both Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre had pitched the idea of a title switch to management in recent weeks, echoing a similar proposal made around the time of Wrestlepalooza. With WWE deep into its international tour, officials ultimately felt Berlin was the right stage to finally pull the trigger.

Following the match, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis confirmed that the road to McIntyre’s first challenger begins immediately. Four qualifying matches are set for next week’s SmackDown in London, with the winners advancing to a fatal four way bout at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24 in Montreal.

The winner of that match will go on to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event in Riyadh.

Qualifying matches announced for next week:

• Randy Orton vs The Miz

• Matt Cardona vs Trick Williams

• Damian Priest vs Solo Sikoa

• Sami Zayn vs Ilja Dragunov

WNS Discord & Vote 

Ready to jump into the conversation? Come and be part of the WNS Discord community. You can also share your thoughts by rating this news report using our interactive rating system below.