Backstage Details On WWE Changing WrestleMania 42 Main Event Plans

The January 9, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown saw Drew McIntyre dethrone Cody Rhodes in an epic Three Stages of Hell Match following Jacob Fatu’s interference during the closing stages of the Steel Cage bout.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that the decision to have the title change hands was taken within 48 hours of the show. The report notes that both McIntyre and Rhodes pushed heavily for the title to change hands in Berlin, with the Scottish Warrior being “pretty vocal” about how it would be the best thing for everyone involved and The American Nightmare agreeing that it would be better for him to chase the title heading into this year’s Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania than defending it.

Meltzer noted that the original plan for WrestleMania 42 main event match likely involved a third showdown between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, but Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque decided to pivot, as he felt that Cody battling Roman for the third time at The Show of Shows in the last four years and the buildup for it would lead to “audience fatigue.”

The report further adds that the two likely ideas for WrestleMania 42 are a Triple Threat Match between Cody, Fatu, and Drew or a standard singles bout between McIntyre and Rhodes, with Reigns being the “odd man out of the WWE Title picture.” Roman is slated to return to WWE programming at the Royal Rumble, and according to Meltzer, his direction for WrestleMania 42 will be clearer at the event.