Earlier today on SmackDown, a new WWE champion was crowned in shocking fashion. Fans reacted to the way the match ended and compared this to Jon Moxley and Adam Copeland’s controversial bout last year.
A new Undisputed WWE Champion was crowned today after Drew McIntyre won the Three Stages of Hell match against Cody Rhodes. After both men split the two pinfalls, the decisive third pinfall was decided inside a steel cage.
Later on in the match, Jacob Fatu returned and prevented McIntyre from escaping the cage. He then began to attack him. Rhodes got involved and tried to stop him, as they were in the middle of a match. Fatu’s frustrations got the best of him, and he took them out on the American Nightmare. Drew took advantage of the chaos to roll outside the cage, winning the match. Fatu had inadvertently helped him win.
Will Drew leave WWE if they don’t do this? Check Now!
A discourse began on X/Twitter after one fan claimed this was the worst finish to a title match they had seen in a while, topping Jon Moxley vs. Adam Copeland at AEW Revolution.
Others reacted to this and firmly believed that Mox and Cope’s match was worse. This became controversial after Christian Cage’s failed cash-in, and the bout ended with Moxley choking him out and escaping with a win. Some thought otherwise, defending the AEW Revolution match, or even suggesting other, worse match finishes.
The Undisputed WWE Championship was always going to change hands tonight
Cody Rhodes’ second reign as world champion began at SummerSlam when he pinned John Cena to reclaim his Undisputed WWE Championship.
Bodyslam has reported that both Rhodes and Drew McIntyre pushed for a title change once more, as they did so last year ahead of their bout at WrestlePalooza. This time around, WWE pulled the trigger as they felt that the time was right.
Despite the controversial finish to tonight’s match, Drew McIntyre is the new world champion, and it will be interesting to see how this reign goes. He cannot simply rest easy, as Jacob Fatu will surely be looking for payback.
Edited by Enzo Curabo
