Honestly, if you thought you knew where the Undisputed WWE Title was headed this year, you’re probably staring at your screen in a bit of a daze right now.
Last week's SmackDown was a total car crash—in the way only pro wrestling can be. Drew McIntyre is your new champion. Yeah, you read that right. Cody Rhodes, the guy who "finished the story" and was supposed to be the face of the company through 2026, just got leveled in a Three Stages of Hell match. But here’s the kicker: it wasn't just Drew. Jacob Fatu returned, chaos ensued, and suddenly the "American Nightmare" is title-less.
Everything we thought we knew about World Wrestling Federation news and the lead-up to WrestleMania 42 has been tossed into a woodchipper.
The WrestleMania 42 Main Event: What Most People Get Wrong
For months, the "smart" money was on Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns III. It felt inevitable. A rubber match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to settle the score once and for all. Dave Meltzer over at the Wrestling Observer had been hinting at it for ages. But then, Triple H did what Triple H does.
He pulled the plug.
Reportedly, the creative team got cold feet about "fan fatigue." Do people really want to see the same main event for the third time in four years? Probably not. So, instead of the safe bet, they pivoted. By putting the gold on McIntyre, they’ve turned the title scene into a three-way (or maybe four-way) blender.
The rumor mill is currently churning out two possibilities for the Vegas main event:
- McIntyre vs. Rhodes II: The classic "chase" story where Cody tries to get his soul back.
- The Triple Threat: McIntyre vs. Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu.
Wait, where does that leave Roman Reigns? That’s the million-dollar question. If he’s the "odd man out" for the title, it suggests a non-title grudge match, possibly against someone like CM Punk or even a Bloodline-ending showdown with Fatu. It’s risky. Leaving your biggest needle-mover out of the title picture two years in a row is a bold play.
The Netflix Era One Year In: It’s Not Just a New Channel
We’ve officially hit the one-year anniversary of Monday Night Raw moving to Netflix, and the landscape is unrecognizable. Remember the days of flipping to USA Network? Gone. Now, you’ve got Raw streaming live globally, and the presentation has shifted.
Basically, Netflix is treating WWE like a prestige drama that happens to have suplexes. We just saw a crossover with Stranger Things to ring in the new year. Plus, they just dropped a massive archive of classic "Premium Live Events" (what we used to call PPVs). If you want to binge 41 seasons of WrestleMania, you don't go to Peacock anymore. It’s all on the red "N."
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The "Unreal" Controversy
Speaking of Netflix, the second season of WWE: Unreal drops January 20th. The first season caught a lot of heat because it basically tore down the "fourth wall" and showed exactly how the creative sausage is made. Some old-school fans hate it. They think it kills the magic. But for the new generation? It’s the highest-rated shoulder content WWE has produced in years.
Seth "Freakin" Rollins is a huge part of this new season. Even though he's been sidelined with shoulder surgery, he’s been everywhere on Netflix. He’s even set to join a live broadcast called Skyscraper Live on January 23rd, where Alex Honnold is going to free solo a building in Taipei. It’s a weird time to be a wrestling fan, isn't it?
Business is Booming (Even if the Fans are Mad)
If you follow the World Wrestling Federation news on the business side, TKO Group Holdings is basically printing money. The stock ($TKO) is hovering around $209 right now. That’s nearly a 100% jump from where it was a year ago.
Investors don't care about "work rate" or who has the best moonsault. They care about the "TKO Takeover" model. This is where they bring a UFC Fight Night, a WWE SmackDown, and a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event into the same city on the same weekend. It’s a logistical monster, but it captures the entire "wallet share" of the local fans.
They’re also launching "Zuffa Boxing" later this month. They’re trying to do to boxing what they did to MMA: centralize it, rank it, and own the whole ecosystem. Whether boxing purists will go for it is another story, but the money is clearly behind it.
The International Road to Vegas
WWE isn't just a domestic product anymore. Look at the 2026 schedule. We’ve got:
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- Backlash: Italy in Rome (May)
- Night of Champions in Jeddah (June)
- Clash at the Castle: Ireland in Dublin (September)
They are leaning hard into these "stadium shows" abroad because international governments are literally paying them to be there. It’s the "Taylor Swift" effect. A city hosts a WWE PLE, and the local economy gets a $50 million jolt.
What Really Matters Right Now
If you're trying to keep up with the chaos, here’s the bottom line. The Royal Rumble is on January 31st. That is the reset button.
With Drew McIntyre holding the Undisputed Title, the Rumble winner has a weird path. If Roman Reigns wins, does he go after Drew? Does he go after CM Punk, who is currently feuding with Bron Breakker over the World Heavyweight Title on the Raw side?
And don't sleep on the women's division. Jade Cargill is the dominant force on SmackDown, but Jordynne Grace just made her debut and immediately got in Jade's face. That is a "money" match that could easily co-main event WrestleMania.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at the old 2025 rankings. They're irrelevant.
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- Watch the Rumble on January 31st: This will confirm if the "Roman is the odd man out" rumor is true or just a smokescreen.
- Check Netflix for "WWE: Unreal" Season 2: It drops January 20th and will likely reveal the real reason behind Seth Rollins' absence and the "Ruse of the Century" at SummerSlam.
- Keep an eye on the TKO Lawsuits: There’s a class-action suit (Johnson v. Zuffa) regarding athlete wages that could actually change how much wrestlers get paid in the next few years.
The "Federation" (as the old-heads still call it) is in a state of flux. It’s loud, it’s confusing, and it’s arguably the most profitable it has ever been. Just don't get too attached to any one storyline. By the time we hit the T-Mobile Arena for NXT Stand & Deliver in April, everything will probably have changed again.