WWE WrestleMania 42 Plans Altered By Management

A major marquee match was originally listed for the WrestleMania 42 card prior to management making a series of significant creative adjustments. The Undisputed WWE Championship match in Las Vegas is currently scheduled to feature Cody Rhodes defending the gold against “The Apex Predator,” Randy Orton. However, the original vision for the event involved a much more violent encounter.

According to reports from PWInsider, the initial plan for the championship showcase featured Drew McIntyre defending the title against Cody Rhodes. That specific matchup was internally scheduled to take place inside the high-stakes Hell in a Cell structure. The idea was to bring a definitive end to their months-long rivalry in the most physical way possible.

The company eventually decided to pivot toward the Rhodes versus Orton confrontation around the time that Orton began publicly promoting his quest to break John Cena’s record of 17 world title reigns. The historical significance of that chase became a primary motivator for the shift in direction.

“The Randy stuff, from what I was told, when they started going with the idea of Randy it would have been the week that they started pushing this idea that Randy’s going for the John Cena record,” Dave Meltzer noted on a recent broadcast. “Before that, they had no inclination of that direction.”

Cody Rhodes successfully regained the WWE Title from McIntyre on the March 6 episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Portland, Oregon. Meanwhile, Randy Orton earned his title opportunity by winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber match in Chicago. The two former allies are now on a direct collision course for Allegiant Stadium on April 18 and 19.

While there has been no official confirmation regarding McIntyre’s new plans for the show, current television storylines suggest he is in line for a high-profile singles match with the dangerous Jacob Fatu. The “Samoan Werewolf” cost McIntyre the gold during the recent SmackDown broadcast, setting the stage for a personal grudge match in the “Silver State.” The WWE fans are eager to see if this new direction can live up to the intensity of the originally planned cell match.

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