WWE Reportedly Initially Planned Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre Hell In A Cell For WrestleMania 42

On the January 9 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Drew McIntyre surprised fans by defeating Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. With reports at the time indicating the company’s WrestleMania direction was set to be Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, many were left with questions regarding what we’d see at the ‘Show Of Shows’. Now, with the title matches seemingly set in stone for this April’s show, we know more about WWE’s original plans.

According to an update from PWInsider Elite, it’s believed one of WWE’s pitches would’ve seen Cody Rhodes face Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell.

“In asking around, it was learned that the original WrestleMania pitch making the rounds was for Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell. Instead, Cody will face Orton while McIntyre appears to be set for a bout against Jacob Fatu.”

-PWInsider

Instead, McIntyre lost the Undisputed WWE Championship back to Cody Rhodes on the March 6 SmackDown after the Scotsman’s interference at the Elimination Chamber led to ‘The American Nightmare’ receiving a shot at the gold. This sets up Rhodes to defend the title against his former mentor Randy Orton in a match many have hoped to see since the current champion returned to the company at WrestleMania 38.

Following Roman Reigns’ Royal Rumble win at the end of January, many wondered if ‘The Tribal Chief’ was set to re-enter the Undisputed WWE Championship picture. However, after choosing to vie for the World Heavyweight Championship, Reigns will now face off with CM Punk in Las Vegas.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on WWE’s plans for WrestleMania as soon as we hear more.