Abandoned plans revealed for Cody Rhodes' WWE title reign by veteran (Exclusive)

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to defend his title later this week at Saturday Night's Main Event. He is set for a rematch against Drew McIntyre, whom he defeated at last month's Wrestlepalooza in an extremely hard-hitting yet exciting bout.

The rivalry between these two former tag partners has gotten more intense with each passing week, and the match at Delta Center is expected to be an entertaining one. However, veteran WWE writer Vince Russo recently revealed plans for Cody's title reign, and they didn't involve Drew McIntyre initially.

During an episode of Writing with Russo on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo revealed that WWE planned to have Jacob Fatu face Cody at SNME. It would've been a fresh, never-before-seen match, but Fatu needed to get some serious dental work done, which has ruled him out for several weeks, abandoning any plans for this Saturday's event.

"There was supposed to be a match between him and Jacob Fatu, but Jacob Fatu, I think, needs some type of serious dental work or something, so he's going to be out for a while. So he's on the shelf, so Drew's back in the spot," Russo said.

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Jacob Fatu was written off television after he was assaulted backstage before a number one contender's match against Drew McIntyre, which left him with a bloodied mouth. Given the timing of the attack, several people feel that McIntyre attacked the Samon Wearwolf, including Jimmy Uso, who got into an altercation with the Scottish Warrior last week on SmackDown.

Both Drew and Cody have been getting into brawls these past weeks, and it wouldn't be surprising if a stipulation is added to their match, and that could see either a returning Fatu or Jimmy Uso cost him the match.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed