A major championship match has been added to the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event, as Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Drew McIntyre. The match was made official by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis via social media on Tuesday, following a brawl between the two men on the previous episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
The feud between the two main event stars exploded on this past Friday’s episode of SmackDown. The show featured a show-long storyline where GM Nick Aldis had scheduled a number one contender’s match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu to determine Rhodes’s next challenger.
However, when it was time for the main event, Fatu’s music played, but he did not appear. The broadcast cut to the backstage area, where Fatu was shown laid out, his mouth bloody with what appeared to be teeth scattered on the floor. McIntyre, who was already in the ring, expressed pleasure at the development but strongly denied any involvement in the attack.
This prompted the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, to march to the ring. Rhodes told McIntyre that if he wanted a championship match so badly, he didn’t need to attack Fatu; they could have the match “right now.” A brawl immediately erupted between the two rivals. Although the bell eventually rang, it was never clear if the match was an official championship defense. The bout quickly broke into chaos and ended in a disqualification after a frustrated Rhodes hit McIntyre with the WWE Championship title belt. The inconclusive and violent end to SmackDown left the championship picture unresolved.
General Manager Nick Aldis took to social media to declare that the issues between the two would be settled in a sanctioned match, making the title defense official for Saturday Night’s Main Event. The updated card for Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1 is below:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes (champion) vs. Drew McIntyre