Did Cody Rhodes Turn Heel on SmackDown — And Is Drew McIntyre to Blame?

So, SmackDown in San Jose on October 17, 2025 did not go the way anyone expected. The show was supposed to set up a clean number one contender. Instead, we got chaos, a possibly-unofficial title match, and a whole lot of people asking the same thing: did Cody Rhodes just turn heel?

How it spiraled

• Drew McIntyre was set to face Jacob Fatu. Fatu's music hit, the crowd geared up for the Samoan Werewolf, and then the broadcast cut to the back.
• Fatu had been taken out in what was framed as a hit-and-run backstage attack. He was bleeding from the mouth, and SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and a swarm of officials rushed in. In plain English: Fatu wasn't in any shape to wrestle.
• Back in the arena, McIntyre leaned into the moment and tried to get himself announced as the new number one contender right then and there.
• Cody Rhodes snapped. He hit the aisle, called out McIntyre over what he believed happened to Fatu, and basically dared him to fight on the spot — for the title.

"Enough. Enough. We are done with all this. You know what you did, and you think this entire group of people wants to sit here and watch you talk. They wanted a number 1 contender match. I think we should give them something right now. You want your title match, Drew McIntyre? Let's do it right here, right now."

Cody flips the switch

Even before the belt shot that blew everything up, Cody was working with a different edge than usual. Call it the Homelander era fully activated. He dragged McIntyre around the arena, swung steel chairs with bad intentions, went after the eyes more than once, and, in one of those little details that makes you do a double take, tried to choke Drew with the chain attached to his suit while they were headed back to the ring.

Once they finally hit the ring, the referee acknowledged the fight and started an official match. Then Cody completely lost it and cracked McIntyre with his title belt. The ref immediately called for the bell — disqualification.

Wait, was that actually a title match?

That is the million-dollar question. Cody declared it a title fight on the mic, the ref treated the brawl like a real match once it got to the ring, and the DQ made McIntyre the winner on paper. If Cody's impromptu stipulation stood, that would, by the logic being pushed in the moment, make McIntyre the new undisputed WWE Champion off a DQ.

Here's the part that makes your head hurt: WWE titles do not typically change hands on a disqualification, and champions don't usually get to unilaterally sanction defenses without the boss signing off. So either Cody's declaration counted and this was a rare exception, or we're waiting on an official ruling to clean up the mess.

Nick Aldis and the fallout

GM Nick Aldis said on-air that there will be serious consequences for McIntyre if he is found to be behind the attack on Fatu. If Aldis ties Drew to the hit-and-run, the company has a storyline out: punish McIntyre, nullify the match outcome, and restore the status quo. If they do not, then we need clarity on whether Cody's spur-of-the-moment title defense is even valid — and what a DQ win means here.

Bottom line

Did Cody just turn heel? Based on how he wrestled and the way he ended it, that sure looked like a pivot. Is Drew McIntyre the new champ? The show left it muddy enough that we need an official word. Either way, San Jose got one of those nights where the rulebook felt... optional.