WWE SmackDown delivered the much-anticipated episode following WrestleMania 39, bringing all the fallouts from the bygone PLE but Drew McIntyre was not a part of the show. It appears that the creative team was forced to proceed without the inclusion of the top superstar of the blue brand for a couple of reasons including the ongoing uncertainty around his WWE future.
As per the previous reports, Drew McIntyre was taken off WWE SmackDown, and also a signing was scheduled to take place heading into the show. While the exact reason was never offered by the WWE, his absence was initially attributed to an undisclosed health issue. A new report has now claimed that the former WWE Champion is unhappy with the current situation.
The current creative direction of his character and the offer made by the WWE for his next deal was unable to please Drew McIntyre. Speaking about it, Wade Keller for PWTorch mentioned that things are negative between the two parties. Both creative and lesser money offered to him are the main barriers to his contract renewal which is speculated to end by the summer,
“We alluded to this that there’s been talk that he is unhappy with his current situation in WWE and I’m hearing it’s kind of a mix of creative and money and what kind of offer he’s getting for a renewal. It sounds like WWE is taking seriously the possibility that he is going to let his deal run out rather than agree to something that he believes is less than he deserves or less than he what he thinks he has coming.”
Drew McIntyre was likely hurt coming out of his WrestleMania 39 encounter
Keller also added regarding Drew McIntyre’s health that he was really beaten up from his Triple Threat Match with Sheamus and Gunther at WrestleMania 39. This could also be the reason that he had been pulled from SmackDown due to his bad physical state. In recent times, the Scottish warrior did end up working in a soar physical state which could have affected his body,
“There’s a chance that he was pulled from SmackDown, in part because he is just really physically beat up from that match and so just not having to travel and him getting a day off was sort of given to him either at his request or the medical team in WWE just said, ‘yea with what he’s been through, he should have some time off.’”
While the exact injury status remains unknown, Drew McIntyre could simply be given a night off due to his health so that he could recover. But then again the ongoing negotiations between him and WWE are also a matter of concern. After all, Gunther handed him his first clean pinfall loss without any outside interference which indicates that there could be trouble in paradise.
