3 potential endings to WWE SmackDown tonight

Friday nights are back to normal with Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Champion and John Cena as the ultimate babyface. While the latter is set to wrestle Logan Paul just over a week from tonight at Clash in Paris, Cody Rhodes' next challenger is seemingly Drew McIntyre.

The tag team main event on last week's SmackDown was cut short when Logan Paul low-blowed John Cena, and the show went off the air with Drew McIntyre Claymore Kicking the WWE Champion's skull through the announce table (you read that right) to signal his intent in the most psychopathic way imaginable.

With McIntyre gunning for Cody Rhodes and the WWE Championship and the match seemingly soon to be made official, the conclusion to tonight's show will likely build to that match. With that said, in this article, we shall explore three potential endings to tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

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#3. Drew McIntyre lays Cody Rhodes out again; stands tall with the WWE Championship on SmackDown

Tonight's SmackDown could see Cody Rhodes accept Drew McIntyre's challenge for the WWE Championship at Clash in Paris, only for McIntyre to attack Cody towards the end of the show; this time, to send a different message.

Last week's message was simple: he is coming for Rhodes and his WWE Championship. This week, he could double down and make it clear to Cody that he has got his number, and that he will stop at nothing to win back what he considers his own in hopes of establishing himself as the alpha dog on SmackDown.

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#2. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre engage in a heated war of words on SmackDown

As much as the feud needs physicality, especially the kind that established Drew McIntyre as a legitimate threat to Cody, there is a lot to be unpacked in this feud storytelling-wise. Both men left the company, going from undesirable to undeniable in their own distinct ways, and both ascended to the very top.

And while Cody Rhodes did so more recently and is still there, McIntyre is looking to once again get back to being in the spot Cody is in; that McIntyre believes should have been his, not just the role of the WWE Champion, but the role of the true face of the company that McIntyre perhaps never got to.

With all the layers that can be unraveled and just two episodes to go before Clash in Paris, a discussion between Rhodes and McIntyre is essential to build hype for this match and test the waters for the potential of an extended feud between the two over the next few months.

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#1. Drew McIntyre goes after John Cena; Cody Rhodes makes the save on SmackDown

With John Cena having turned babyface, the time is now to have Drew McIntyre ascend to being the top heel on Friday Night SmackDown. With tonight's episode set to emanate from Boston, Massachusetts, a closing segment that sees Drew McIntyre in some sort of angle where he destroys John Cena could garner him major heat.

This could prompt the WWE Universe to firmly get behind Cody Rhodes as The American Nightmare looks to avenge his idol. Rhodes and Cena being presented as allies would be the easiest way to re-establish Cody as a top sentimental favorite of the WWE Universe.

Meanwhile, the John Cena-Drew McIntyre angle on tonight's SmackDown could be a small step in the direction of WarGames, scheduled just over three months from now, while also opening up the possibility of a singles match between Cena and McIntyre on one of the few dates The Last Real Champion has left on his Farewell Tour.