Overview
- Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre on the March 6 SmackDown in Portland to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship after multiple referee knockdowns and Jacob Fatu pulling a steel chair from McIntyre.
- WWE confirmed Rhodes will defend against 2026 Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, with Paul Levesque sharing the bout poster on social media.
- SmackDown GM Nick Aldis had ordered McIntyre to defend the title following his interference at Elimination Chamber, leading directly to the televised rematch.
- Online reaction turned sharply negative, with WWE’s YouTube upload of the match drawing over 112,000 dislikes as reported by Forbes.
- Randy Orton acknowledged the new matchup with a post on X, while Fatu’s on-screen involvement is being highlighted as a significant storyline development heading into WrestleMania.