Cody Rhodes did not expect to be walking out of tonight's SmackDown from Berlin, Germany, without his WWE title.
A combination of Jacob Fatu surprising everyone with his return and Drew McIntyre being the ultimate opportunist, however, meant that Cody's second reign with the belt unexpectedly came to an end at 159 days on the show.
McIntyre was very pleased with himself after this victory; the American Nightmare, on the other hand, was understandably distraught with the result. He played his part perfectly even after the show went off air, sulking all the way to the entrance ramp as he made his way back:
Nick Aldis has already announced his plans for determining the new challenger for the WWE title heading into Royal Rumble, with names such as Randy Orton and Matt Cardona getting an opportunity to enter the title picture.
Cody Rhodes losing the championship tonight adds another twist to this story, and we'll have to see what his WrestleMania direction looks like after tonight.