StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

POWER RANKINGS: EVALUATING THE SIX SUPERSTARS MOST LIKELY TO DETHRONE DREW MCINTYRE NEXT

Drew McIntyre shocks the world by defeating Cody Rhodes. See the 6 potential challengers and Roman Reigns' rumoured return plans.

Power Rankings: Evaluating the six superstars most likely to dethrone Drew McIntyre next
Drew McIntyre captures the WWE Undisputed Title

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.

INSIDE LIV MORGAN’S CALCULATED PLAN TO CHOOSE HER WRESTLEMANIA 42 CHAMPIONSHIP OPPONENT

Liv Morgan claims a dream match with AJ Lee would "solve world hunger" as she weighs her WrestleMania 42 title shot options.

top-news
Liv Morgan eyeing WrestleMania 42 title shot

Liv Morgan has a wild sense of humour—she actually said that a match between her and AJ Lee would do more than just entertain fans. According to her, it’d solve world hunger. Seriously. In a recent chat with GQ Sports, Liv read a fan comment that said, “Her vs. AJ Lee would feed families,” and she took it even further: “We’d feed more than families. Like, world hunger would not be a thing.” When they asked how she pictured the match ending, Liv didn’t hesitate. “With me winning, obviously. But she’s a feisty one. Still, I’m putting my money on me.”

Fans have been dying to see Liv Morgan vs. AJ Lee ever since AJ returned to WWE last year. There’s a catch, though—rumour has it AJ Lee’s got a different WrestleMania 42 opponent lined up. And Liv? She’ll still be challenging for a Women’s Championship at the big event, but this dream match probably needs a little more time.

Liv’s still weighing her options for WrestleMania 42.

After she won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble, Liv told everyone at the PLE post-show that she’s not in a rush to choose her opponent. “I can pick any champion I want, and I don’t want to make some quick decision I regret. I’m taking my time. I’ll decide when it feels right and when I know who’s right.” She doubled down on that on RAW this week, saying she’s even planning to scope out SmackDown to see if she wants to go after Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

But if you’re looking for clues, Liv might’ve already dropped one—she ambushed Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer right after Stephanie defended her title against Raquel Rodriguez on RAW. Looks like Liv’s keeping her cards close, but she’s not shy about making a statement.

LIV MORGAN AND BIANCA BELAIR NOW JOINT FAVORITES TO WIN 2026 ROYAL RUMBLE

WWE hits Riyadh! Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair lead the betting odds as the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble takes over Saudi Arabia.

top-news
Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair top final betting odds for Royal Rumble

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is coming up, and the women’s Royal Rumble is only in its ninth year—but you wouldn’t know it, looking at the lineup. The 30-woman battle royal feels as stacked as ever.

We’ve already got some big names confirmed, including former champions like Alexa Bliss and Asuka. And, you know how it goes—everyone’s waiting for those surprise returns. Last year, Charlotte Flair entered at No. 27, tossed out four people, and walked away with her second Royal Rumble win.

Honestly, Flair’s win didn’t really lead to much, but this time around, the field is wide open. That alone makes the women’s Rumble one of the most exciting matches on the card. With so many stars possibly coming back and no obvious challenger lined up for either main title, there’s no clear favourite.

Still, if you follow the backstage buzz and those little hints WWE likes to drop, you can start to see who’s got the best shot. Here are the five women everyone’s talking about as possible winners for 2026.

Charlotte Flair, looking back, Flair’s win in 2025 probably wasn’t the best move for her character. It didn’t do “The Queen” any favours, creatively speaking.

But she turned things around, thanks in part to an unexpected but really entertaining team-up with Alexa Bliss. Now, Flair’s one of the top stars in the division, so if she wins again—making it back-to-back and her third overall—it actually feels more earned this time.

Right now, she’s working in the tag division, but here’s the thing: there just aren’t a lot of clear challengers for Jade Cargill, the current SmackDown champ. Flair vs Cargill would be a legit dream match. If WWE can’t come up with something better, don’t be shocked if Flair wins another Rumble.

Becky Lynch, Some folks think Becky Lynch’s Intercontinental Championship win means she’s out of the world title picture for a while. Don’t count on it.

Raw’s Women’s World Champ, Stephanie Vaquer, looks set to hold onto her belt through WrestleMania. She needs someone credible to face, and Lynch is right there. She’s been doing great work, building up new talent like Maxxine Dupri and Lyra Valkyria.

A WrestleMania showdown with Lynch might be exactly what Vaquer needs to reach that next level. The Rumble win could set that up perfectly. Sure, there’s a chance someone like AJ Lee makes a surprise return and eliminates Lynch, but it makes a lot of sense for Lynch to go all the way and challenge Vaquer in Vegas.

Word is, Lynch was one of two big names WWE considered for a spot against Vaquer at WrestleMania 42.

Bianca Belair hasn’t wrestled since last year’s WrestleMania 42. She messed up her finger pretty badly, and it’s kept her out for months.

We haven’t heard much about a return, but she’s still one of the top betting favourites for the Rumble. People figure she’s probably close to being cleared, since she’s been gone so long.

Belair is a natural pick to challenge Vaquer, but honestly, she’d be an even better opponent for Cargill—her old tag partner. Cargill’s expected to keep her title through WrestleMania, so it just lines up: Belair comes back at the Rumble and wins the whole thing.

Rhea Ripley, as I said earlier, WWE considered two major names to face Vaquer at WrestleMania 42: Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley.

Ripley might be the most popular woman in WWE right now. She’s a constant presence on Raw, and you can bet she’ll be front and centre at WrestleMania 42. Lately, she and Iyo Sky turned from rivals into tag champs, but apparently, WWE doesn’t plan for them to keep those belts all the way to WrestleMania.

That probably means Ripley and Sky will split up soon—maybe even during the Rumble, maybe a little later and on good terms. As much as their team has done for the tag division, both belong in singles competition.

Ripley’s clearly headed for a big match at WrestleMania, and another Royal Rumble win is the ticket to get her there.

WWE’s got big plans for Liv Morgan heading into WrestleMania 42. Honestly, it almost feels like a lock at this point—she just checks all the boxes for a Royal Rumble winner. She just came back; fans are wild about her, and she’s got the skills to back it up. Even though she’s technically a heel right now, crowds are cheering for her like she’s the hero, so a face turn might be right around the corner.

Plus, her Judgement Day group looks like it’s about to fall apart. If that happens and they handle it right, Morgan’s popularity could skyrocket even more. She’s already a key player in WWE’s women’s division, and making her the centre of attention seems like the smart move.

Fans have wanted her to win the Royal Rumble for a while now. She’s come close—runner-up twice—but this year feels different. This might finally be the year Liv Morgan gets her big win.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News