On the latest episode of the Notsam Wrestling podcast, host Sam Roberts offered a comprehensive defense of the controversial finish to the “Three Stages of Hell” match on SmackDown, which saw Drew McIntyre defeat Cody Rhodes to become the new WWE Champion. The match concluded with a masked Jacob Fatu interfering, attacking both competitors before McIntyre escaped the cage to secure the victory.
Roberts argued that a clean finish would have been detrimental to the characters involved. “I think a clean finish would have been insane in that match,” Roberts stated. “Drew McIntyre won it like a heel… Winning it this way proves that Drew McIntyre is actually a heel.” He noted that McIntyre’s character work is effective because he is technically telling the truth, but only from a perspective of “pure and utter self-interest.” Roberts highlighted the hypocrisy of McIntyre accepting a win via interference while likely complaining if the roles were reversed.
The podcast host also broke down the psychology of the finish, noting that Cody Rhodes lost because of his morality. When Fatu entered the cage and began attacking McIntyre, Rhodes attempted to stop the assault rather than letting his opponent suffer. “Cody Rhodes rarely loses, but more often than not when he does, his morality is what has stopped him,” Roberts observed. This decision allowed Fatu to turn his aggression toward Rhodes, giving McIntyre the opening to escape.
Regarding the returning Jacob Fatu, Roberts believes the booking has successfully elevated him from the upper mid-card to a legitimate top-tier threat. “Jacob Fatu is out of the upper mid card baby face scene, and has a real story that organically places him in the main event picture,” Roberts explained. He predicts that Fatu will be a central figure in the post-WrestleMania title picture, chasing the championship regardless of who holds it.
Roberts also found humor in the recurring trope of the “masked man” in WWE storylines, citing recent instances involving Becky Lynch, R-Truth, and Austin Theory. He suggested that WWE capitalize on this trend merchandise-wise. “You got to get a masked man outfit on WWE Shop right now,” he joked, proposing that fans should be able to dress up as the ambiguous intruder at live events.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit the Notsam Wrestling podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
