Cody Rhodes Seemingly Puts an End to His Bitter Feud with Drew McIntyre by Retaining the WWE Title at SNME

McIntyre demanded a disqualification, but the official waved it off. Resetting, the Scot took the advantage with a cheap shot and even bit of the champ’s forehead behind the referee’s back before launching him across the ring. Rhodes fought back with quick strikes and stomps, but when Engler intervened. 

The challenger hurled Rhodes shoulder-first into the ring post, then over the barricade, before tossing him back inside for a thunderous belly-to-belly suplex and a Kneeling Cobra Twist to wear him down. Rhodes broke free, trading elbows and counters until both men climbed the ropes for a struggle that ended with a superplex shaking the ring. 

The feed briefly froze before returning to Rhodes, hitting a snap powerslam and a Beautiful Disaster Kick, nearly sealing the victory with a Cody Cutter. McIntyre answered with a jackknife pin and a Liger Bomb, but neither could finish the other.

Frustrated, the Scotsman grabbed the championship belt, only for Rhodes to take it and hand it to the referee, leaving himself open for a Claymore Kick out of nowhere. Incredibly, ‘The American Nightmare’ kicked out. The battle spilled outside, where McIntyre tried to send Rhodes through the announce table, but Rhodes countered and barely beat Engler’s ten-count.

Back inside, McIntyre charged for another Claymore, but Rhodes dodged. Amid the chaos, the referee was accidentally knocked down, allowing McIntyre to capitalize while Engler checked on Rhodes. The champ recovered just in time to hit another springboard Cody Cutter, but the challenger still refused to stay down.

The finish descended into chaos. McIntyre blocked the Cross Rhodes and shoved Rhodes into the referee again. When ‘The American Nightmare’ rebounded, McIntyre caught him mid-air with a crushing headbutt. Both men reached for the downed title belt, colliding with simultaneous crossbodies. 

Crawling toward the belt, McIntyre got there first, but Rhodes struck with a DDT onto the championship. Tossing the evidence away as Engler came to, the American hooked McIntyre in an inverted facelock, the crowd roaring as the war reached its climax. Rhodes finally hit another Cross Rhodes to pick up the win and retain his gold. 

CM Punk shares a backstage picture with the likes of AEW stalwarts, including Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill

Saturday Night’s Main Event was a landmark night in WWE history. While Cody Rhodes seemingly put an end to his rivalry with Drew McIntyre, CM Punk finally conquered his demons to capture the vacant World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso , cementing one of the most emotional victories of his career.

The show also delivered another major milestone as Jade Cargill ended Tiffany Stratton’s 300+ day reign to become the new Women’s Champion. Just hours after the event, Punk took to Instagram to share a wholesome moment with three familiar faces — Cargill, Ricky Saints, and Rhodes — all fellow former AEW stars. 

The photo, posted shortly after Punk’s title win, showed the group celebrating their newfound success in the Stamford-based company. Punk simply captioned the post:

Look at us.

CM Punk via Instagram

The image carried special meaning, as all four share a common bond: they each once competed under the All Elite Wrestling banner before finding renewed purpose and glory in WWE.

Rhodes was the first to make the leap, leaving AEW in 2022 and returning to WWE in grand fashion at WrestleMania 38. Punk, meanwhile, made his wrestling comeback in AEW in 2021 after years away from the ring. However, his relationship with The Elite deteriorated, ultimately leading to his high-profile departure in 2023.

Cargill followed soon after, joining WWE within months of Punk’s exit, and quickly rose to championship status. As for Saints, he left AEW earlier this year and has since made a huge impact in NXT, recently dethroning Oba Femi to become the NXT Champion. 

A close friend of Rhodes, Saints’ success adds another proud chapter to this group’s shared journey, a story of perseverance and reinvention.