The Definitive Argument For Cody Rhodes to Lose WWE Championship Before WrestleMania

This Friday, Cody Rhodes will step into the ring with Drew McIntyre for a WWE Championship match, but this won't just be a normal singles bout. This will be a Three Stages of Hell match.

McIntyre chose his stipulations last week, with the first fall being a standard wrestling match, the second being Falls Count Anywhere, and the third being inside a steel cage.

WWE recently extended SmackDown to three hours, and with this being the second episode at that length, the company wants to give fans an incentive to stay tuned in for the entire show.

Adding big showdowns like this to standard episodes of TV is a good way to create interest, but what about the result of the match?

Let's take a look at some of the reasons why McIntyre should leave SmackDown as its new champion this week.

It's Been 84 Years

If you are on the internet, and we know you are since you are reading this article, then there is a good chance you have seen the memeable quote from Titanic of older Rose saying, "It's been 84 years."

It's a joke often used to express frustration with something taking a long time, like the release of GTA 6, for example.

Despite being booked as a top star and regularly facing other main event players, it's been over five years since McIntyre held the WWE Championship. That feels way too long for a guy who the company wants to portray as one of the most dangerous men in the world.

It's time for the two-time champion to make it three and win the belt again. Another loss in a big match situation is only going to hurt his character further.

Long Title Reigns Can Become Boring

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Rhodes is just over 150 days into his second reign as the WWE champion after winning the belt from John Cena at SummerSlam 2025.

His first reign began at WrestleMania 40 when he defeated Roman Reigns to end his monumental 735-day run as the top dog in WWE, and Rhodes held the belt for a little over a year before Cena defeated him for it at WrestleMania 40.

All this means The American Nightmare has held the title for over 530 days between his two reigns, which is more days than Steve Austin held the belt over his six total reigns as champion. Think about that for a second.

Austin was arguably the biggest star in the world at the height of his career, but none of his runs with the title came anywhere near what we have seen from Rhodes or The Tribal Chief.

Booking someone to hold the title for a long time is meant to make them look good, but at a certain point, we need some variety in the main event scene or he is just going to end up recycling the same opponents over and over, which is what is happening now.

Rhodes and McIntyre have fought several times over the past couple of years. You can only book the babyface to beat the heel so many times before it gets old.

It's Unexpected

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Right now, if you asked most fans who they think will win, not who they want to win, Rhodes is going to be the overwhelming favorite because most people assume he will hold the belt until at least WrestleMania.

Something WWE doesn't do enough anymore is shock us. Even at times when the storytelling is good, you can almost always tell what direction WWE is going to go.

Sometimes you have to do something unexpected to shake things up, and having McIntyre defeat Rhodes on Friday would be the perfect way to do that.

Not only would it be a surprising result, but it would be one that also makes sense. On paper, there is no reason why McIntyre, a monster of a man, shouldn't be able to defeat The American Nightmare.

He's bigger, stronger, just as fast, just as experienced, and is willing to bend the rules whenever he needs to get the job done. In many ways, he's the perfect person to take the belt away from Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes Needs a New Direction

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Rhodes has been a top star in WWE since the day he returned at WrestleMania 38 and defeated Seth Rollins.

Ever since that night, with the exception of a short run as a tag team champion alongside Jey Uso, The American Nightmare he either been pursuing or holding the WWE Championship. He needs something new to do.

We know what you are thinking. "Shouldn't all wrestlers want to be the WWE champion?"

Yes, of course that should always be the goal, but that doesn't mean it is the only way to use a top star. There are lots of main-eventers in WWE who aren't holding or chasing a title right now, but they are doing just fine because there are other ways to keep them busy.

Rhodes needs to get back to being the underdog. A babyface as a dominant champion can only last so long. It's the same thing with Superman. Comic writers constantly find new weaknesses so he isn't just an unstoppable machine, because the good guy being unbeatable would be boring.

McIntyre being the kryptonite that finally unseats Rhodes as the WWE champion is the perfect way to get The Scottish Warrior back on top while simultaneously giving Rhodes a new direction to take his character as he figures out his next steps.

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What do you think? Is it finally time for McIntyre to regain the WWE title?