Three Stages of Hell Match Rules Now Set

Posted by admin on January 3rd, 2026

Three Stages of Hell Match Rules Now Set – The stipulations for the upcoming Three Stages of Hell match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre are now official.

During the January 2 episode of WWE SmackDown, Rhodes was shown searching backstage for McIntyre but was unable to find him. Later in the show, Rhodes addressed the situation in the ring, only for McIntyre to appear on screen near Rhodes’ bus. From there, McIntyre revealed the match stipulations for their WWE Championship bout scheduled for next week’s SmackDown in Berlin.

McIntyre confirmed that the first fall will be a standard wrestling match. The second fall will be contested under falls count anywhere rules. If a third fall is required, the match will conclude inside a steel cage. The announcement officially locked in the Three Stages of Hell format for the title match.

The confrontation did not end with the stipulation reveal. McIntyre continued to provoke Rhodes and attempted to lure him into a physical altercation. McIntyre stated that if Rhodes attacked him before the match, it could result in Rhodes being stripped of the WWE Championship.

McIntyre then revealed he had been inside Rhodes’ bus earlier in the night. He showed a framed photograph of himself with Rhodes’ father, taken when Cody was just beginning his WWE career. McIntyre smashed the picture on the ground, prompting Rhodes to rush backstage in search of him.

When McIntyre appeared again, he was standing in the ring with the damaged photo and a lighter. As Rhodes made his way back toward ringside, security restrained him. McIntyre proceeded to set the photo on fire and tossed it into a trash can, continuing to taunt the champion as Rhodes watched from a distance.

In addition to the WWE Championship match, two more bouts were announced for the January 9 episode of SmackDown in Berlin. The Wyatt Sicks will face The MFTs in an eight-man tag team match. Also scheduled is Trick Williams’ in-ring SmackDown debut, where he will go one-on-one with Rey Fenix following their confrontation on Friday’s show.