Kemo
04-10-2023, 12:47 AM
Questions remain over Drew McIntyre's future with WWE after the Scottish Warrior was pulled from this week's SmackDown.
McIntyre was scheduled to appear in Portland this past Friday and was pulled due to an unspecified illness.
The illness also resulted in McIntyre being pulled from a signing at which he was scheduled to appear.
McIntyre Banged Up
The last fans saw Drew McIntyre in the ring, he was facing GUNTHER and Sheamus at WrestleMania 39: Night Two. On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that McIntyre has been dealing with health issues since before last weekend's show.
"He’s banged up…..is that what they said that he had an illness on TV? Okay, whatever it is was before WrestleMania because he worked through WrestleMania and the WrestleMania match and whatever the situation is.
The injury, banged up, or whatever it is. Getting through and doing WrestleMania and now, I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. That’s the situation."
Whatever is going on with McIntyre's health, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes. His WWE contract is expected to expire before the end of this year. Contract negotiations typically come down to one primary factor: money.
Despite WWE's deep pockets, it does not appear the organization is willing to give the Scottish Warrior what he's looking for at this time. Meltzer says the two sides are "not close" on money, which could affect the former WWE Champion's longterm future with the company.
A star of McIntyre's caliber would be a huge acquisition for AEW, which has proven to be a viable alternative for disgruntled WWE Superstars. AEW just announced its first UK show this summer at Wembley stadium. McIntyre could help a lot with AEW's presence in Europe, but don't expect to see him at All In on August 27th. Even if he does decide to become All Elite, McIntyre's WWE contract runs "well past" that date.
"I hear people say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be at the [August 27th AEW] Wembley show.’ And it’s like, I don’t have the date, but I don’t think that’s contractually possible. I think that his contract runs well past that date. It’s a story to play out, but it’s not going to play out this week or next week."
Barring any regulatory hurdles, WWE will soon be under the same corporate umbrella as the UFC. In recent years, fighter pay has been a significant issue in the world of mixed martial arts. Back in January, the company stripped Francis Ngannou of the UFC Heavyweight championship and released him due to a dispute over money.
If the yet-to-be-named WWE-UFC company maintains this 'hardball' approach to negotiating with talent, McIntyre may find himself on the free agent market in just a matter of months.
McIntyre was scheduled to appear in Portland this past Friday and was pulled due to an unspecified illness.
The illness also resulted in McIntyre being pulled from a signing at which he was scheduled to appear.
McIntyre Banged Up
The last fans saw Drew McIntyre in the ring, he was facing GUNTHER and Sheamus at WrestleMania 39: Night Two. On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that McIntyre has been dealing with health issues since before last weekend's show.
"He’s banged up…..is that what they said that he had an illness on TV? Okay, whatever it is was before WrestleMania because he worked through WrestleMania and the WrestleMania match and whatever the situation is.
The injury, banged up, or whatever it is. Getting through and doing WrestleMania and now, I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. That’s the situation."
Whatever is going on with McIntyre's health, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes. His WWE contract is expected to expire before the end of this year. Contract negotiations typically come down to one primary factor: money.
Despite WWE's deep pockets, it does not appear the organization is willing to give the Scottish Warrior what he's looking for at this time. Meltzer says the two sides are "not close" on money, which could affect the former WWE Champion's longterm future with the company.
A star of McIntyre's caliber would be a huge acquisition for AEW, which has proven to be a viable alternative for disgruntled WWE Superstars. AEW just announced its first UK show this summer at Wembley stadium. McIntyre could help a lot with AEW's presence in Europe, but don't expect to see him at All In on August 27th. Even if he does decide to become All Elite, McIntyre's WWE contract runs "well past" that date.
"I hear people say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be at the [August 27th AEW] Wembley show.’ And it’s like, I don’t have the date, but I don’t think that’s contractually possible. I think that his contract runs well past that date. It’s a story to play out, but it’s not going to play out this week or next week."
Barring any regulatory hurdles, WWE will soon be under the same corporate umbrella as the UFC. In recent years, fighter pay has been a significant issue in the world of mixed martial arts. Back in January, the company stripped Francis Ngannou of the UFC Heavyweight championship and released him due to a dispute over money.
If the yet-to-be-named WWE-UFC company maintains this 'hardball' approach to negotiating with talent, McIntyre may find himself on the free agent market in just a matter of months.