Drew McIntyre is supposed to be on WWE Raw.
He was drafted to that show’s roster earlier this year. There is a gaping hole on Raw in the shape of a monster heel that the Scottish Warrior could fill nicely, despite being a fan favorite the last time we saw him.
But it’s now June, two months removed from WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, and that remains McIntyre’s last appearance in a WWE ring. As recently as mid-May, Dave Meltzer was reporting that McIntyre was expected back in WWE as soon as a creative issue could be worked out, which sounded like it was a matter of when, not if, he’d be back.
The latest report isn’t as positive on that front. Mike Johnson of PW Insider (subscription required, h/t Haus of Wrestling) says that the creative frustration continues for the 38-year-old, and that until it’s resolved, WWE simply isn’t going to put him on TV. Despite pitches being made to get him back into the fold ahead of Money in the Bank — a natural spot for both sides to want him to appear, given that it’s in London — he’s said to remain unconvinced that he’ll be given something meaty enough to do creatively.
McIntyre famously had his WWE peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was WWE Champion and won several Slammy Awards as wrestler of the year. He’s made no bones about the fact that he’d appreciate a championship run in front of crowds, and that he feels he’s done everything asked of him by the company since 2020, slipping back a bit in line for top of the card programs while others received opportunities.
Haus of Wrestling notes that McIntyre’s contract expires in early 2024 and that there’s a chance he’d simply not be back on WWE TV at all before departing at that time. He’s no stranger to plying his trade elsewhere, though last time he and WWE parted ways in 2014, it wasn’t of his own volition.
Often these types of impasses tend to be worked out, and that could certainly still be the case for McIntyre. His fans, however, may have to steel themselves for the chance that nothing gets resolved and that the next time they see him wrestle could be in another company.