WWE, AEW Rumors on Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre, Naomi's Pregnancy and Danhausen

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre Planned for Sept. 20 PLE

WWE's reported plan to schedule another head-to-head event with AEW for Sept. 20 has the promotion looking to load up the card for the show.

Per PW Insider Elite (h/t Sanchez Taylor of Wrestle Talk), the plan for the premium live event is for Cody Rhodes to defend the undisputed WWE championship against Drew McIntyre.

This is the same show that is expected to feature Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena in Lesnar's first match since SummerSlam 2023.

WWE hasn't officially announced the Sept. 20 event yet, but in perhaps another attempted dig at AEW ahead of Dynamite in Scotland, it's expected to be revealed on Wednesday.

It's also been reported the show will be named Wrestlepalooza and could air on ESPN. The Sept. 20 date is when AEW will run its All Out show from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Rhodes-McIntyre feud was set in motion on the Aug. 8 episode of Friday Night SmackDown when the Scottish Warrior laid out Rhodes by hitting him with the title belt and a claymore kick through the announce table to end the show.

This could mark Rhodes' first title defense after defeating Cena to regain the undisputed championship at SummerSlam. He is not currently scheduled for the Clash in Paris show on Aug. 31, as he is off filming the new Street Fighter movie.

WWE Adjusting Plans After Naomi's Pregnancy

On the heels of Naomi vacating the women's world title after revealing she is pregant on Monday's episode of Raw, WWE held off on announcing plans for the championship.

One potential reason for that is Naomi's announcement and absence has led to "huge creative shifts" for the women's division, per Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News).

Michael Cole said on commentary after Naomi vacated the title that there would be an update on the status of the championship during next week's episode of Raw.

Stephanie Vaquer was the No. 1 contender and scheduled to challenge Naomi at Clash in Paris, so it seems safe to presume she will factor into the equation in some way.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky also figure to be in the mix since Naomi originally won the title by cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase in the main event of Evolution between Ripley and Sky.

That leaves open the possibility of a triple-threat match between Vaquer, Ripley and Sky. There are also more than enough women on the Raw roster to fill out an eight-woman tournament, culminating with the final on the Sept. 20 premium live event.

Whatever direction WWE decides to go, it's going to be an exciting opportunity to potentially build a new top star in the women's division.

Danhausen Still Under AEW Contract

Despite previous reports that his deal with AEW was set to expire, Danhausen will remain under contract with the promotion into 2026.

Per Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), AEW picked up an option on Danhausen's deal that will tie him to the promotion until "well into" next year.

The move was made in spite of Danhausen's wishes to let the deal expire, as he was "ready to leave the company after barely being used the last couple of years."

There had been talk of WWE being interested in bringing in Danhausen when he became a free agent. It's unclear if WWE's interest had any impact on AEW's decision, though this could be yet another example of how both sides are dug in on this modern-day wrestling war.

Adding time to a wrestler's contract is par for the course for both promotions. In the early days of AEW, WWE made a habit of adding injury time to deals to prevent them from hitting free agency.

Danhausen is a special case because he's not a main-event star, but a unique attraction who has shown the ability to get over with crowds. The 35-year-old hasn't appeared on any AEW television show since doing a run-in at ROH Final Battle last December when he cursed Mason Madden during a match between Atlantis Jr. and Mansoor.

Despite his absence from AEW, Danhausen has been working regularly on the indie scene. He most recently worked a six-man tag match for Glory Pro Wrestling on July 27.