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.
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.
THE SHIELD FACTOR: WHY SETH ROLLINS BELIEVES SPLITTING THE TEAM SAVED THREE LEGENDARY CAREERS
Is the Shield reuniting? Seth Rollins shuts down fans as Roman Reigns prepares to battle CM Punk at WrestleMania 2026.
Seth Rollins has always been a lightning rod in wrestling, and he still feels the fallout from breaking up The Shield. Back in June 2014, he took everyone by surprise; he just turned on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, siding with Triple H and The Authority. That moment didn’t just shake up The Shield. It changed wrestling for good.
He talked about it on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe not long ago, saying that one decision flipped the whole industry on its head. The three of them, Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose, had found their groove as a team. But splitting up was the push they all needed. If they’d stayed together, no way would they have become the stars they are now. Still, after all these years, Rollins gets grilled by grown adults! asking him why he did it.
“I still get asked about that. Seriously, it’s been 12 years, and people come up to me and say, ‘Why’d you break up The Shield?’ These are adults! They watched it as teens, sure, but come on. You know it’s not real. Does it really hurt that much? Wow,” he said. He just can’t believe a scripted moment from so long ago still hits people so hard.
No one can argue with what The Shield did for wrestling. All three guys are either holding or chasing world titles in WWE and AEW. Right now, Rollins has his own battles. He’s heading toward WrestleMania 42, but he’s coming off emergency surgery for a hernia, and that’s thrown his plans into chaos. Wrestling Observer Radio even reported that his big match against a returning rival might be off the table.
Roman Reigns, on the other hand, is gearing up for a huge showdown with CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. And with Elimination Chamber coming up in Chicago on February 28, 2026, everyone’s watching the top stars. On the February 16 episode of Raw, Je’Von Evans punched his ticket to the Men’s Elimination Chamber by beating GUNTHER and Dominik Mysterio. Now he’s in there with Randy Orton, LA Knight, and Cody Rhodes.
For the women, Asuka, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, and Alexa Bliss have already made it in. WWE is feeling the heat about ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium, so they’re leaning hard on the stories and history of their biggest names to pump up excitement for the two-night event in April.
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.
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.
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