WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 marked a controversial win for Cody Rhodes, who beat Drew McIntyre thanks to a few mistakes by the referee.
Cody Rhodes faced one of his toughest challenges to date at WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 in the form of former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
Eight days ago on SmackDown, “The American Nightmare” returned from a brief hiatus from WWE programming to lay down a challenge to McIntyre for WWE’s first-ever PLE on ESPN. McIntyre had just defeated Rhodes’ long-time friend and mentor Randy Orton in SmackDown’s main event, but didn’t have much time to celebrate.
Rhodes’ triumphant return to SmackDown set the stage for a monumental clash between the WWE Champion and McIntyre at WWE WrestlePalooza in Indianapolis.WWE WrestlePalooza 2025 Results for Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE presented WrestlePalooza as a WrestleMania caliber, and Rhodes and McIntyre delivered a match worthy of the “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
Inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Rhodes and McIntyre battled in a classic clash of established main eventers, but in the end it was Rhodes who stood tall. The two-time WWE Champion finished off McIntyre with a super Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes to retain the WWE Championship he won just last month when he defeated John Cena at SummerSlam.
Among the key highlights of Rhodes’ successful WWE title defense were:
The first few minutes of the match were evenly matched until Rhodes attempted to run to the ropes but eased up, hinting at an injured leg. He was able to hit a Cody Cutter but favored his knee.
Rhodes eventually hit a springboard kick onto McIntyre followed by a suicide dive on the outside. He went for a second one, but McIntyre caught him and drove him spine-first into the turnbuckle before tossing him over the Spanish announce table.
