Cody Rhodes Retains His Undisputed WWE Championship Against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza

Cody Rhodes successfully defended his title for the first time after winning it back from John Cena at SummerSlam. He faced Drew McIntyre tonight at Wrestlepalooza, and he got past him to retain his Undisputed WWE Championship. With this victory, he also gets his revenge on Drew McIntyre for all the assaults the latter pulled on him.

STATEMENT. MADE.

Cody Rhodes stands tall at #Wrestlepalooza to remain WWE Champion! #AndStill pic.twitter.com/Z2HoTPGh3E
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2025

Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes faced each other in the main event of Wrestlepalooza. These two wrestlers took a heavy toll on one another’s bodies. He tried to give Cody Rhodes a deja vu of his table-breaker Claymore, but the referee stopped him giving Cody Rhodes an opportunity to move out of harm’s way. Drew McIntyre injured his leg, which ultimately cost him the match.

OH NO DREW! 😱

Drew McIntyre might have just DESTROYED his leg!#Wrestlepalooza pic.twitter.com/j5UIzwiGes
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2025

Drew McIntyre delivered a Glasgow Kiss and went for a Claymore, but tripped due to his injured leg. Cody Rhodes capitalized and delivered a Super Cutter, followed by Cross Rhodes to put Drew McIntyre down for good. He then pinned him to win the match and retain his title in the most intense match tonight.

Drew McIntyre just tossed Cody Rhodes with ease 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/LTqHjy6WDo
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2025

Drew McIntyre Screws Up Yet Another Opportunity of Becoming a Champion

Drew McIntyre’s obsession with hurting his opponent in creative ways just to prove his point has cost him numerous opportunities, and tonight was another example of it. He was dominating the match against Cody Rhodes, but went to remove the cover of the turnbuckle, and it backfired. This was not the only point where he messed up.

CROSS RHODES!!

Drew McIntyre almost just got immediate karma at #Wrestlepalooza! 😲

Stream Wrestlepalooza RIGHT NOW on the @espn App: https://t.co/jKAIj8nxxt pic.twitter.com/5GvV8L99R8
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2025

Cody Rhodes went for a Suicide Dive, and he countered, but for some weird reason, tried to replicate his Claymore that sent Cody Rhodes through the table. The referee stops him for a while, which is what Cody Rhodes needs to move out of the harm’s way. Drew McIntyre injured his knee in the process, which made him trip while performing the Claymore, and helped Cody Rhodes register a victory and get his revenge.

CODY RHODES BEATS DREW MCINTYRE TO RETAIN HIS UNDISPUTED @WWE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE 🏆 #Wrestlepalooza pic.twitter.com/6Xwa69tKQc
— ESPN (@espn) September 21, 2025

Will Drew McIntyre admit his fault, or will he blame the authorities again for screwing him up? It will be the second one if past is any indication. He will blame the referee for stopping him from delivering a Calaymore.

Image Credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre

Undisputed WWE Championship

WrestlePalooza

WWE

Ashish Negi

nfl

wrestling

I am Ashish Negi, and I work as a WWE and NFL writer at The Playoffs. I have 5 years of experience in content writing, and I have written in different domains like Real Estate, but I found my love while writing in sports. I love watching sports and have been a fan of WWE and cricket. I got an opportunity to write full-time on WWE and NFL here, so following the footstep of my hero John Cena, I turn heel on my last company