As the “Road to WrestleMania” heads through Chicago this weekend, the Undisputed WWE Championship picture is beginning to crystallize, though creative hurdles remain. According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cody Rhodes is considered a “virtual lock” to be involved in the title match against current champion Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
However, the specific format of that match is still a subject of intense internal debate. While Rhodes and McIntyre have a storied rivalry—including McIntyre’s title win over Rhodes in Berlin this past January—there is growing concern within WWE that a standard singles match may be “too predictable”. To counter this, there is significant talk of adding Jacob Fatu to the mix to create a Triple Threat match.
“The other talk regards McIntyre’s WWE title match. It’s a virtual lock Rhodes would be involved in that. Whether it’s a singles match or a three-way with Jacob Fatu, or even more that would involve Randy Orton, Sami Zayn or others is unclear, and may not even be finalized,” Dave Meltzer reported. “What we have been told is that a match involving more than three people is not being talked about right now. So it is still Rhodes and if someone is added, at this point, it would only be Fatu”.
Despite being eliminated from the Royal Rumble by Roman Reigns, Fatu has garnered “substantial support” within the creative department to disrupt the status quo at Allegiant Stadium. This creative uncertainty has reportedly caused “panic” at WWE headquarters in Stamford, according to WrestleVotes. Production and marketing departments are facing looming deadlines for WrestleMania promotional materials, and the lack of a finalized main event for the Undisputed WWE Title is creating a logistical logjam.
Complicating matters further is this Saturday’s Elimination Chamber in Chicago. While Rhodes is competing in the Chamber for a guaranteed title shot, Fatu is not scheduled for the match, meaning creative must find an alternative path to insert him into the title scene if they decide to move away from a singles match.
The WrestleMania card features CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title and Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer. Whether the Undisputed WWE Title remains a two-man affair or expands to include the “Samoan Werewolf” may depend on the fallout from the United Center this weekend.