WWE Rumors on Drew McIntyre; Cena Talks Theory Match; Cody Rhodes on Splitting Titles

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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McIntyre Was Reportedly Sick Last Week at SmackDown

There was reportedly uncertainty regarding whether Drew McIntyre would be able to wrestle on last week's SmackDown because of an illness.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), McIntyre was "extremely ill" and wasn't cleared to compete until he got to the arena.

McIntyre was able to tough it out and take part in a Fatal 5-Way match for an Intercontinental Championship opportunity against Gunther at WrestleMania 39.

Since McIntyre and Sheamus both scored pinfalls at the same time, McIntyre and Sheamus will now face each other in a singles match on this week's SmackDown to determine Gunther's WrestleMania opponent.

Per PWInsider.com, McIntyre managed to work all of the scheduled live events after SmackDown, and he has been lauded as a "locker-room leader" for constantly fighting through injuries and illnesses over the past year.

While it has been quite some time since McIntyre was WWE champion, he remains one of WWE's top stars, and it seems inevitable that he will become world champion again at some point.

For now, he is focused on Gunther and the IC title, and all signs point toward WWE finding a way to get both him and Sheamus in a match against Gunther at WrestleMania, making it a Triple Threat.

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Cena Says He Was Told to Face Theory

While it is likely assumed by some fans that John Cena handpicked Austin Theory as his WrestleMania 39 opponent, the 16-time world champion has denied that is the case.

In an interview with Dan Gelston of the Associated Press, Cena explained why he is facing Theory on the Grandest Stage of Them All:

"You would be surprised at my answer. Because that's what I was told would happen. I don't do that. I don't say, 'I want to do this. I want to work with that person.' I don't ever do that. I've never done that. I just try and do what I'm told to do and do it to the best of my abilities. Instead of dictating my terms, I often just try to make the performance the best it can be. What I don't do and what I've never done is curate the direction of the narrative. I don't pick opponents, but I love to tell stories. I didn't pick Austin Theory, but I certainly spoke from the heart [on Raw]."

Theory has been dropping hints about a potential match against Cena for months, ever since he confronted Cena backstage over the summer during the 20th-anniversary celebration of Cena's WWE career on Raw.

When Cena made his return to Raw last week, Theory immediately interrupted his promo and challenged him to a WrestleMania match.

Cena initially declined and explained that he didn't believe Theory was ready for or deserving of the moment, but he changed his tune when the crowd implored him to accept.

The WrestleMania match against Theory will be one of many in Cena's illustrious career, but it will undoubtedly be the biggest match of Theory's career to date.

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Cody Comments on Possibly Splitting WWE, Universal Titles

Ahead of his undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39, Cody Rhodes gave his thoughts on the possibility of going back to two world titles rather than one.

Appearing on the Bart Winkler Show (h/t Nikunj Walia of Ringside News), Rhodes explained how he thinks WWE could go about splitting the WWE and universal titles:

"What it will take for the titles to potentially be separated is … maybe who leaves, after leaving WrestleMania, I think it's a time when, perhaps, management can step in and make that call so that you never put it on potentially me or potentially Roman Reigns.

"Of course the thing that I want my hands on is the WWE Championship. It's the one that pop never got … I think that's a good time for maybe management to step in, and if they did, I would be all about it."

The WWE and Universal Championships have been combined for nearly a year, dating back to when Reigns beat Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38 in a unification match.

While that has undoubtedly enhanced Reigns and his historic title run, it has also left Raw without a world title and given fewer Superstars an opportunity to reach the top of the business.

Reigns losing the titles could present WWE with a chance to go back to two world titles, and it seems as though Rhodes is very much open to the idea.

Assuming Rhodes beats Reigns at WrestleMania and secures the title he has always wanted in the WWE Championship, putting the Universal Championship up for grabs would make for an intriguing storyline coming out of WrestleMania.

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