Fans, we are just 36 days away from WWE WrestleMania 42, And as of today, Cody Rhodes is securely locked in to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in a featured match at “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

Prior to Rhodes winning the championship back for the third time in his WWE career last Friday, reports went back and forth on whether former champion, Drew McIntyre, would carry the championship to Las Vegas, and if he would defend it against just Rhodes, or entangle other men  who’ve been eyeing the coveted prize, like Orton, Sami Zayn, and Jacob Fatu, in a multi-man match. Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has offered another update, citing trusted sources working closely on the matter that say “The American Nightmare” and “The Viper” will be the only two athletes fighting for the belt next month. Before that, the direction for this upcoming showdown was discussed and changed four different times, according to this week’s newsletter.

What’s interesting to note is that originally in their drafted plans, the company entertained the idea of having Rhodes face the man whom he first won the Undisputed Championship from, Roman Reigns. The angle between the two of them would’ve culminated in a Hell in a Cell match. However, plans for that were axed after Seth Rollins obtained his shoulder injury, and the decision to put the title back on McIntyre. The concept of having a Hell in a Cell match was also heavily discussed to happen between McIntyre and Rhodes for the title at his year’s “Super Bowl of Pro Wrestling,” but that too was dismissed, considering that would be their fourth singles meeting on a major show in the past several months. The decision for Orton to win this year’s Men’s Elimination Chamber was in the works since the first week of February.

Although John Cena is the first-ever 17-time World Champion in WWE history, Orton is looking to catch up to Cena’s impressive record by etching another world title tally to his already calculated career by becoming a 15-time World Champion. Tonight on “WWE SmackDown,” Rhodes and Orton will sign on the dotted line, confirming their impending title clash. The day in which Rhodes will defend his title against Orton on either April 18 or 19 has not been announced yet.

Swerve Strickland is a great example of a former “WWE NXT” Black & Gold sweetheart finding success outside of the promotion, with both an AEW World Championship and AEW World Tag Team Championship reign under his belt. Strickland has never shied away from hitting back at detractors who criticize his AEW run, but in an interview with “Baller Alert,” he offered one reason why he continues to choose the promotion over other options. 

“AEW by far,” Strickland said when asked who pays more between AEW and WWE. “Because it’s guaranteed.” Historically, WWE only began to offer guaranteed paychecks in the 1990s. Prior to that, the entirety of a wrestler’s pay was based on percentages of merchandise sold, pay-per-view buys, and other royalties. According to Strickland, only a select number of WWE stars receive most of their income guaranteed.

“They got their select few up top that – like the top, top, top – just like the untouchables, but a lot of those guys are starting to retire now,” Strickland added, referring to wrestlers like John Cena and AJ Styles. “That pyramid is starting to really get really pointy and small at the top. … [Tony Khan] treats the roster like  athletes. … He’s a player’s booker. He’s in tune with his talent and his roster, and where to put those guys.”

The AEW star further expressed that Tony Khan runs AEW like a football team, and claimed that he gets along very well with his boss. Strickland believes Khan understands his strengths as a performers, which extends to most of the roster. “He knows how to utilize all his players in the right way, so therefore he knows how to pay them, too.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Baller Alert” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.