WWE’s Wrestlepalooza saw Cody Rhodes successfully defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre in the show’s main event. The bout lasted just over 17 minutes and the American Nightmare put his rival away with his Cross Rhodes finisher, but to many fans, it didn’t quite live up to their expectations heading into the night.
The two men are some of WWE’s finest competitors and can create magic inside the squared circle if given the chance, but for one reason or another, spectators felt as though the match, like the rest of the show, didn’t deliver to its full potential. That may come from the finish being too predictable and it has since been revealed that both Rhodes and McIntyre pushed for the conclusion of their match to be changed drastically, but it was rejected by WWE.
The finish that they wanted was very, very different from what fans ended up seeing play out on Saturday night and it would have changed the landscape of the company in the present and going forwards.
Rhodes Wanted to Lose the Championship
While he lost his opportunity at the Undisputed WWE Championship and failed to get his hands on the title, McIntyre initially tried to get the finish of his match with Rhodes changed and wanted to win the belt. He wasn’t the only one either, with the champion also pushing for his opponent to get the victory and take his title with him. According to Bodyslam, via their patreon, both men pushed for McIntyre to beat Rhodes after Randy Orton got involved and accidentally cost his former Legacy stablemate.
The shock ending would then see Rhodes chase McIntyre for the gold, before winning it back again and it would then lead to Orton turning on his ally and becoming a villain once again. The pair have a storied history, working together in the Legacy stable before they went on to feud. They’ve been closely linked throughout their time in WWE and an Orton heel turn would have begun their next chapter together.
WWE rejected the idea, though, and instead went with Rhodes beating McIntyre clean for the title and following the events of Monday Night Raw, the American Nightmare is set to feud with his former rival, Seth Rollins in the lead up to Crown Jewel in Australia instead.
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