Hold onto your seats, WWE fans—the rivalry between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes has exploded into something truly savage, with McIntyre pulling no punches in escalating their bad blood to brutal new heights!
In a move that's got the wrestling world buzzing, Drew McIntyre has officially laid out the rules for his upcoming Three Stages of Hell showdown against the reigning champion, Cody Rhodes. This epic clash is set to take place next week on 'WWE SmackDown' in the heart of Berlin, Germany (check out more details here: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2066419/wwe-smackdown-january-2-womens-united-states-championship-on-line-ambulance-match-more/). For those new to WWE lingo, a Three Stages of Hell match is a grueling, multi-phase battle where the competitors go through three different match types, and the first to win two falls claims victory—it's designed to test endurance, strategy, and sheer willpower like few other stipulations.
McIntyre, ever the strategist, handpicked the stages to showcase his dominance. Kicking things off is a straightforward singles match, giving him a clean shot to demonstrate why he's the superior competitor right from the bell. If that doesn't settle things, stage two ramps up the chaos with a Falls Count Anywhere bout—imagine the action spilling out of the ring, into the stands, or even backstage, where pins can happen literally anywhere in the arena, turning the entire venue into a battlefield. And for the grand finale? A no-holds-barred Steel Cage match, where towering steel walls enclose the ring, preventing escapes and forcing the wrestlers to fight until one submits, gets pinned, or climbs out—though in this case, it's all about claiming those crucial falls.
But here's where it gets controversial: Rhodes is walking on eggshells in this buildup. After he crossed a line a couple of weeks back by showing up uninvited at McIntyre's home, WWE officials have slapped him with a strict no-contact rule. One wrong move, one physical altercation before the match, and boom—Rhodes forfeits his Undisputed WWE Championship. It's a high-stakes reminder that in wrestling storylines, personal invasions can backfire spectacularly, adding layers of tension for fans who love the drama but question if such restrictions undermine the champion's fire.
Tonight's episode took that tension to a boiling point, as McIntyre went full provocateur mode. He parked himself right outside Rhodes' tour bus, taunting the champ mercilessly. McIntyre boasted about sneaking onto the bus himself, rifling through personal belongings, and even name-dropping Rhodes' wife, Brandi, along with their kids to hit where it hurts most. But he didn't stop there—he dug deeper by invoking the memory of Cody's late father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, claiming Dusty is watching from above and feeling nothing but shame over his son's current path. To drive the knife in, McIntyre dramatically dropped a cherished framed photo of father and son, then crushed the frame under his boot. The mind games peaked when he returned to the ring and set the photo ablaze right in the center, flames flickering as the crowd gasped. Security scrambled to restrain a furious Rhodes from charging in, and McIntyre cleverly dangled just beyond reach from the bottom rope, smirking all the while. It's the kind of psychological warfare that blurs the line between scripted rivalry and real emotion—does it elevate the story, or has McIntyre gone too far in disrespecting a wrestling icon like Dusty?
This all stems from the Boxing Day edition of 'SmackDown,' where McIntyre first declared the Three Stages of Hell as the stipulation for their intensifying feud (more on that here: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2056696/wwe-smackdown-spoiler-drew-mcintyre-cody-rhodes-3-stages-hell/). It's a rare throwback format; the last time WWE ran a Three Stages of Hell was a full 12 years ago, pitting John Cena against Ryback in a brutal trilogy of their own. That one featured a Lumberjack match (with wrestlers lining the ring to toss competitors back in), a high-impact Tables match (where smashing opponents through wood is the goal), and an Ambulance match (ending only when one wrestler is loaded into medical transport). Comparing the two, McIntyre's choices feel more personal and enclosed, almost like he's trapping Rhodes in his own nightmare—could this be a subtle nod to evolving WWE booking, or just McIntyre flexing his Scottish aggression?
And this is the part most people miss: while these matches promise non-stop action, they also spotlight the mental toll of feuds like this. What do you think, fans— is McIntyre's mind-game mastery genius storytelling, or does it cross into uncomfortable territory by dragging family into the ring? Drop your thoughts in the comments: Team McIntyre's ruthlessness, or is Rhodes due for payback? Let's debate!
