WWE had no intention of having one man leave Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with two championships, but that didn’t stop them from teasing the idea.
On the May 10, edition of WWE SmackDown, Paul, the reigning United States Champion, was revealed as the next challenger for Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Immediately, fans speculated that their match at WWE King And Queen of the Ring would see both titles on the line. On Twitter, Cody would tease going for the United States Championship.
2 belts
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 11, 2024
During the May 17, edition of SmackDown, Rhodes spoke of his desire to capture the coveted ‘Grand Slam’ and is only missing the U.S. title from his collection. Despite these teases, it was confirmed during the contract signing later in the night that the upcoming match would ONLY be for Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship.
Why WWE Teased Title For Title
WWE never had any intention of having both titles on the line, despite what was being teased on TV and social media, Dave Meltzer reports. The reason behind the teases is that it was WWE’s way of getting extra ‘heat’ on Paul. The idea is that after fans were led to believe both titles would be on the line, Paul ‘backtracking’ by ensuring he wouldn’t be at risk of losing his gold would rile up the fans against him. On SmackDown, it was made clear that Paul’s lawyers had drafted the contract that means only Rhodes’ title will be on the line.
What’s Next?
Paul and Rhodes will face off this weekend at the WWE King And Queen of the Ring PLE. The show will be Rhodes’ second title defend his title at a Premium Live Event after defeating AJ Styles at Backlash France. The match will also be Paul’s second World Championship opportunity after facing then-Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel 2022.
