The rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre has reached a boiling point, and next week in Berlin, they will settle it in one of WWE’s most grueling match types.
During this week’s SmackDown, Drew McIntyre revealed the stipulations for their “Three Stages of Hell” match for the WWE Championship, which is set to headline next week’s show in Germany. After luring Rhodes to the ring by revealing he had invaded the champion’s tour bus, McIntyre announced the three falls:
First Fall: A straight wrestling match.
Second Fall: Falls Count Anywhere.
Third Fall (if necessary): Steel Cage Match.
The segment took a dark turn when McIntyre produced a framed photograph of a young Cody Rhodes with his father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, which he had stolen from Cody’s bus. After taunting the champion, McIntyre smashed the photo on the ground. When Rhodes stormed backstage to find him, McIntyre appeared in the ring with the broken picture and a lighter.
Despite Rhodes’ desperate attempt to rush back to the ring, security restrained him as McIntyre lit the photograph on fire and tossed it into a trash can, standing tall as the show ended.
In addition to the championship match, next week’s SmackDown in Berlin will feature an eight-man tag team match between the Wyatt Sicks and The MFTs, as well as Trick Williams making his blue brand in-ring debut against Rey Fenix.
