Drew McIntyre returned triumphantly to WWE this past Saturday night at Money In The Bank. I was on-site at The O2 as official media for the event and can personally attest to the gigantic pop The King of The Claymore received from the London fans in attendance. In my opinion, John Cena made his own surprise appearance not long after, and the reaction to both men was about the same.
McIntyre immediately set his sights on WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, who had just finished defeating Matt Riddle, successfully retaining his title. The two men now look poised for a confrontation at WWE SummerSlam, and the possibility that GUNTHER falls short of The Honky Tonk Man’s legendary 454-day reign is now very much in play.
Rumors have circulated for weeks now that there have been issues between McIntyre and WWE that have held up his return to television. Notably, the topic of how he would be handled creatively, especially with his contract coming up soon, was said to be a sticking point in their conversations. During the post-premium live event press conference, Paul “Triple H” Levesque denied that there were issues between the two sides and plainly stated that he hopes McIntyre is with WWE for the rest of his career.
Fightful reports that McIntyre has not signed a new contract with WWE, and his current deal comes up in early-2024. The report also noted that the Scottish star was in continuous communication with Levesque while he was off TV but was not given a heads-up on which brand he would be drafted to, which turned out to be WWE Raw.
Earlier, on today’s episode of The Bump, McIntyre commented on his absence from WWE, along with the “rumor and innuendo,” and apologized to the fans who did not get to see him at events while he was gone. He made it clear he wants to focus on the present, not the past or the future, and in the present, he is looking to give “110%” at the shows he is announced for. His focus is clear; he wants “that big moment with the title in front of fans,” something he was not afforded for his WWE Championship run during the pandemic.