Cody Rhodes Claims WWE Title, Sets WrestleMania 42 Showdown with Orton

Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre on SmackDown to win the WWE Championship for the third time, in a chaotic finish involving a second referee and interference by Jacob Fatu, then pinned McIntyre with a crossroads to secure the title and set up a WrestleMania 42 match against Randy Orton. A contract signing for WrestleMania 42 was also announced for next week’s SmackDown.