Massive Twist in WWE’s Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns WrestleMania 42 Plans

Rhodes was expected to head to WrestleMania as WWE Champion and defend his title against Reigns, who is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble match on January 31st. The American Nightmare had been the champion since SummerSlam last year, when he defeated John Cena.

Ibou of Self-Made has given an update on Rhodes and Reigns' plans for Mania and suggested their planned third match is still a possibility. He claimed on Self Made Sessions that McIntyre was going to be "the middle man" and the idea as of last week was for him to hold the title while Rhodes undergoes a character shift toying with the idea of turning heel.

This comes after Jacob Fatu returned and ultimately cost him the title against McIntyre in a Three Stages of Hell match, after initially attacking the Scottish Warrior and then getting into an altercation with Rhodes. This allowed McIntyre to escape the steel cage for the victory.

Fatu was expected to be a tweener while the mystery around whether Rhodes was the one who attacked him back in October takes place. But the eventual plan was most likely for Reigns to beat McIntyre and become champion and defend the title against the American Nightmare at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

Whether WWE move forward with this idea remains to be seen, but Ibou also noted that McIntyre was the one who pitched becoming champion. But he had the full backing of fans after receiving a massive pop after winning the title and, despite being a heel, was cheered as a babyface in comparison to Rhodes, who, in Berlin, Germany, booed.

Drew McIntyre Must Be Champion at WrestleMania 42

Another short McIntyre reign doesn't sit right, given how long it's taken for him to have his moment with the title in front of fans. He has been one of WWE's best heels for several years and helped reignite his feud with Rhodes after fans lost patience with his constant setbacks.

Rhodes' title reign became too repetitive in its latter stages, and he needed a new direction ahead of the Road to WrestleMania. The idea of him teasing a potential heel turn is interesting and offers viewers something new to get invested in.

If WWE still wants to do Rhodes vs Reigns, it doesn't need the title if they can create a story that warrants a trilogy. Perhaps the American Nightmare is part of the Bloodline revenge tour McIntyre was supposed to do years ago.

McIntyre should be walking into Mania as world champion and facing a new challenger whom fans can get behind. There are several options, including Sami Zayn, who many believe could be a dark horse for the Rumble.

But the seeds have been sown for McIntyre to defend the title against Oba Femi if WWE are prepared to push the Ruler immediately as a top main event star after his call-up from NXT. Oba chokeslammed the Scot back at Saturday Night's Main Event, and having two of the expected poster boys of the company (Bron Breakker vs CM Punk) challenging for gold at Mania makes sense.