This week on WWE SmackDown, something you don’t see every day happened. Drew McIntyre beat Cody Rhodes in a “three-stages-of-hell” match and took the WWE undisputed title. Not only that, it happened outside of the U.S., which is pretty rare for a title change, especially these days.

Rhodes’ second run as champ ends after five months. It’s a big shift, and word is both he and McIntyre wanted it, with WrestleMania 42 on the horizon. Now, SmackDown’s main title scene just opened up for a lot of wild storytelling. So, who’s lining up to challenge the new champ? Let’s run through six options.

Jacob Fatu

McIntyre owes his win, at least in part, to Jacob Fatu’s unexpected return. Fatu stormed back in, and instead of taking out McIntyre as he planned, his anger ended up costing Rhodes the match during the cage segment. The twist? McIntyre is the guy who supposedly put Fatu out of action for months. Picking up their unfinished business feels almost guaranteed for McIntyre’s first title defence.

Damian Priest

Last week, Damian Priest wrapped up a brutal feud with Aleister Black in an ambulance match, and he made it clear he wants the WWE title next. He and McIntyre already beat each other up in a long, violent rivalry last year. Running it back would make sense, especially since WWE’s been rebuilding Priest’s momentum lately.

Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn, always a crowd favourite, just announced he’s coming for SmackDown’s top prize. The next few shows are set for Montreal and Saudi Arabia—two places where Zayn gets huge reactions. Don’t be shocked if he ends up as the next No. 1 contender and finally gets a shot at his first world title.

Cody Rhodes

Rhodes lost the belt under some pretty questionable circumstances, so a rematch with McIntyre is on the table. But let’s be real, fans have watched these two go at it a lot recently. That’s probably why another one-on-one isn’t likely right now. Instead, Rhodes could get thrown into a multi-man title match to keep him in the mix.

Randy Orton

Randy Orton—legend, part-timer, and always in the hunt—has his eyes on the title too. He had some big matches in 2025, including a title shot against John Cena and a spot in the King of the Ring final. Orton and McIntyre have a history, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Orton challenge the new champ soon.

And then there’s Roman Reigns. He’s made plenty of Raw appearances this year, but still shows up as a SmackDown guy on WWE’s site. Rumours say his contract’s up after WrestleMania 42, so he could show up and go after McIntyre before then. That would set the stage for his return to the top—and maybe another showdown with Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania in Las Vegas.

It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll see a WWE main roster star holding a TNA Championship soon.

Trick Williams played a huge part in the whole TNA and NXT crossover feud. Last May, he shocked everyone by beating Joe Hendry to win the TNA World Championship. That move set off the TNA locker room, especially Mike Santana. Santana eventually took the title from Trick in October, but his time at the top barely lasted a month—Frankie Kazarian snatched it from him not long after.

In December, TNA landed a deal with AMC Networks to broadcast its weekly show. To kick things off, they’re putting on a special two-hour Impact episode on January 15. Just a few days later, Genesis PPV is happening.

Now, Trick Williams just got the official nod for SmackDown—he’s done with NXT for good.

How One Match Stipulation Could Change Trick Williams’ Shot at Becoming a Two-Time TNA World Champion

On the latest episode of Impact!, Santino Marella oversaw a contract signing between Frankie Kazarian and Mike Santana for their big title match. During the segment, Marella hinted he might have to bring in Oba Femi or even Trick Williams if Kazarian loses the championship during the AMC premiere.

“Let me explain,” Marella said. “As Director of Authority, it’s my job to give you the best of TNA. This match was supposed to be at Genesis, but the AMC premiere is the biggest night in TNA history. We need the champion and the top contender there, but there’s more riding on this. Frankie, if you keep the title, Santana, you’re out of chances—back to the line. But if Santana wins the belt at the premiere, he’ll have to defend it at Genesis. And if he drops it, we’ll need a new challenger. I might have to call up Oba Femi from NXT, and maybe Trick Williams will get his rematch.”

Meanwhile, Oba Femi just vacated the NXT Championship and quietly left the ring. There’s talk backstage that he’s headed for a main roster call-up, too.