WWE Wrestlepalooza is five short days away. This is WWE’s big introduction with ESPN, so expectations are high for a major show with a lot of big moments. One of the biggest moments that should happen is Drew McIntyre defeating Cody Rhodes and taking the Undisputed WWE Championship. It is a move that could potentially kickstart SmackDown in the right direction.
Let’s be honest for a moment. WWE SmackDown is not a good product. Under the guidance of Road Dogg, SmackDown has become the least popular of the three weekly products. The women’s division has stagnated around yet another feud between Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. Cody Rhodes was once one of the most exciting personalities in professional wrestling, and now he feels like a tired caricature whenever he walks from behind the curtain.
Nothing on this show is engaging enough to pull fans in. Title changes don’t always correct the situation, but WWE has long had something special in Drew McIntyre. For the last one to two years, there have been several reports about McIntyre being positioned as a main event player. While he’s been in the top spot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he hasn’t truly had that run as a top guy with the fans in attendance. The biggest moment came at WrestleMania 40 when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, just to lose it five minutes later. McIntyre has never been the top guy, and this is a chance to correct that mistake.
The question is whether WWE will pull the trigger on such a big show as Wrestlepalooza. Or will the company stick to what was working, but has run out of creative steam in Rhodes? Putting the championship on McIntyre would be a shock moment that could lead to so many different storylines at a time when WWE continues to do more of the same. However, the issue seems to be that the company would rather stick to the pieces that have generated recent success, rather than testing out new waters and opportunities.
Drew McIntyre, having a healthy run as the Undisputed WWE Champion, would be an interesting change of direction for SmackDown and the top title on the main roster. With Wrestlepalooza being a major show to kick off the new partnership, this is a great moment to pull the trigger. Unfortunately, WWE has shown an unwillingness to change things up when they are needed the most.