Cody Rhodes Vs. Drew McIntyre Will Not Main Event WWE Raw, Per GM Adam Pearce
"WWE Raw" fans are set to see former WWE Intercontinental Champions collide as 2024 Men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes will face Drew McIntyre on tonight's episode in Anaheim, CA's Honda Center and it seems they won't have to wait long to see the match. "WWE Raw" General Manager Adam Pearce announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Rhodes and McIntyre's bitter grudge match, which was initially assumed to be the main event, will open tonight's edition of the flagship WWE show on the USA Network.
"We're kicking things off in the biggest way possible," Pearce gushed before he was interrupted by former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green.
BREAKING: #WWERaw GM @ScrapDaddyAP just announced that @CodyRhodes vs. @DMcIntyreWWE will KICK OFF RAW TONIGHT! 🔥
Also, @ImChelseaGreen will get her chance to go to #WWEChamber when she competes in the Last Chance Battle Royal Qualifier TONIGHT!
📺 8/7c on @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/Tfg8g7GDwy
— WWE (@WWE) February 19, 2024
McIntyre has been an antagonistic presence for Rhodes since last fall when the newly-minted heel McIntyre teamed with Judgment Day in a losing effort against Rhodes's War Games team at Survivor Series: War Games in Chicago. McIntyre recently claimed that he intimidated Cody Rhodes out of challenging Seth Rollins, leading to Rhodes stepping back into the main event of WrestleMania 40. McIntyre has been gloating over those who missed their opportunities against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, even telling CM Punk he prayed for the former AEW World Champion's recent tricep injury in this year's Royal Rumble, which derailed plans for Punk to face World Heavyweight Champion Rollins at WrestleMania. Rhodes saved Sami Zayn from an attack by McIntyre and Shinsuke Nakamura, who has also been frequently a thorn in Rhodes's side, following the main event of last week's "WWE Raw."