Drew McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship

WWE kicked off 2026 in dramatic fashion because the month of January is not even over yet and we have already got a brand new Undisputed WWE Champion in the shape of Drew McIntyre. “The Scottish Psychopath” defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match (with a little bit help from Jacob Fatu) on the January 10 episode of “WWE Smackdown” to capture his fourth world title in WWE, and the primary of his profession where he could genuinely rejoice in front of a live audience without the specter of anyone cashing of their Money within the Bank briefcase.

Since that night, a complete host of challengers have stepped up and vowed to be the one which dethrones McIntyre, and on the time of writing, 4 men are set to duke it out for the possibility to challenge McIntyre on the Royal Rumble on January 31. Those 4 men are Damian Priest, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Trick Williams, and they’ll take one another on in a Fatal 4 Way match on the Saturday Night’s Fundamental Event show on January 24 to find out the primary contender. When you add the likes of Fatu and Rhodes into the combination, it is very likely that McIntyre’s reign as champion could possibly be short-lived as there isn’t any way that he can get through all of those names.

With all that said, and with so many names to select from, allow us to placed on our booking hats for only a transient moment and break down the Undisputed WWE Championship scene. Who do we expect will beat McIntyre to turn into the brand new champion? Who do we expect should beat McIntyre to turn into the brand new champion? Will “The Scottish Psychopath” even make it to the beginning of February, let alone WrestleMania 42, with the gold around his waist? Let’s break it down.

To try to work out who will probably be the one to dethrone Drew McIntyre to turn into the brand new Undisputed WWE Champion, each time which may be, you have got to have a look at one easy thing; McIntyre is a heel. Naturally, you’ll desire a valiant babyface to beat and upset the percentages to slay the villain and walk away with the victory, and without delay the person who desires to take “The Scottish Psychopath’s” sword and use it for himself is “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.

If it wasn’t for Jacob Fatu, he’d likely still be champion without delay and he would not have needed to declare himself for the Royal Rumble match on January 31. Rhodes has the largest gripe with McIntyre as he didn’t necessarily lose the title fair and square, and he naturally would desire a rematch. When that rematch happens stays to be seen, but given how Rhodes lost the title in the primary place, there may be every likelihood he matches Stone Cold Steve Austin’s record of three Royal Rumble victories, moves on to WrestleMania 42, and wins himself one other Undisputed WWE Championship. In any case, he continues to be the highest lively babyface in the corporate, and though some crowds are starting to voice their displeasure at him, he’s still the person in WWE.

Nonetheless, Rhodes has been on top of the mountain for near two years now, and within the age of social media people have shorter attention spans than ever. Two years appears like a lifetime because a lot happens in wrestling lately, so going with a unique option is likely to be the very best selection. Enter Randy Orton. “The Viper” having one other reign because the Undisputed WWE Champion has almost felt like a “when” situation quite than an “if,” and with the long history that Rhodes and Orton have together as a part of Legacy, combined with the undeniable fact that Orton might need a watch on John Cena’s record of 17 WWE Championships, there’s every likelihood that WWE go together with Orton on the expense of Rhodes and their friendship.

There’s going to be an Undisputed WWE Championship match between Rhodes and Orton in 2026, you’ll be able to feel it, it’s just the query of who walks into that match because the champion. Ultimately, for the sake of getting a giant babyface moment that could lead on elsewhere, I’m leaning towards to Rhodes being the best call and having Orton take it from him. With that said, don’t be surprised if it’s the opposite way around.

To be perfectly honest, Sami Zayn deserves to have each the should and will sections dedicated to him since it almost feels too perfect of a situation to not have him end the month of January because the Undisputed WWE Champion. Nonetheless, the corporate has proven time and time again that it has an actual talent for missing the boat on this kind of thing, which is why Zayn lands himself on this section as the person who should dethrone McIntyre, quite than being the person who most certainly will.

Saturday Night’s Fundamental Event takes place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on January 24, and the Royal Rumble takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31. That is it. That is the explanation. You possibly can’t get two major events back-to-back that fit a feel good win for probably the most beloved babyfaces in the complete company than that even in the event you tried. Zayn earns the shot at McIntyre in his hometown, before moving on to Saudi Arabia to turn into the primary Muslim WWE Champion since The Iron Sheik. It’s literally the proper lay-up that the higher-ups in WWE could be silly to not slam dunk into the basket for one in all the largest feel good moments of the past few years.

Taking Zayn’s religion out of things, he really is one in all the last great in-ring talents to have never held a world championship in WWE. Even before he got to WWE, Zayn was all the time touted as someone who would give you the option to interrupt through and reach that most important event scene despite not being as large or chiselled as what the regular WWE fan would want. He can all the time be relied on to be excellent within the ring, just have a look at his most up-to-date run with the WWE United States Championship, every defense he had was not only must-see, but ended up being the highlight of “WWE SmackDown.”

Obviously, WWE could hold off and wait for an event like WrestleMania 43 (also in Saudi Arabia) to have Zayn win the title, but wrestling is all about striking while the iron is hot and Zayn is hot without delay. He’s a man that has been deserving of this kind of a spot for thus long, has done a lot in his WWE profession (The Bloodline saga would not have been as big because it was without him), and in all honesty, what have WWE got to lose? Nothing. Give Zayn the belt on the Royal Rumble because at the tip of the day, it’s the best thing to do.