Summary

Cody Rhodes has the Undisputed WWE Championship back after footage aired on Wednesday showed him tearing through Pat McAfee's studio and leaving with the belt.

The reveal came at the start of Wednesday's Pat McAfee Show, where McAfee said the studio had been trashed and the championship was gone. Video then showed Rhodes as the person who took it back.

That payoff followed the latest escalation in the Rhodes, Randy Orton and McAfee story, which had already seen McAfee fire back at Rhodes before WrestleMania 42.

How the belt ended up on McAfee's set

McAfee had taken the title on Friday's SmackDown after Orton's attack on Rhodes. The belt then remained on display on McAfee's show for the past two days while Rhodes handled media appearances without it.

Wednesday's footage closed that loop, with Rhodes recovering the championship himself instead of waiting for McAfee to hand it back.

What this changes for Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton

Rhodes regaining the physical title puts the focus back where WWE wants it heading into WrestleMania 42, on the champion and the coming defense against Orton. It also keeps McAfee directly tied to the feud, since he is still set to be in Orton's corner for the match.

That matters because this angle is no longer just background hype. McAfee's involvement is now part of the championship story on screen, which gives Orton another ally in Rhodes' orbit as WrestleMania gets closer.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.