Drew McIntyre is reportedly unhappy with several aspects of his current WWE run.
As we’ve noted, PWInsider reported on Friday that McIntyre was pulled from Friday’s post-WrestleMania 39 edition of SmackDown, and from a Friday signing at a local Cricket Wireless, where he was replaced by WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER. The booking change came after it was revealed last week, by PWInsider and the Wrestling Observer, that McIntyre’s current WWE contract will expire in the next several months, and that the two sides have not agreed on terms for a new deal yet. One of the original reports noted that McIntyre has made it clear that he was going to wait until much closer to the expiration date before he signed anything because there are a number of factors to consider, and that he did tell some of his friends about the contract situation, but he didn’t expect it to get out. It was also said that there’s nothing imminent as McIntyre has not made any decisions.
In an update, a new report from PWTorch’s Wade Keller notes that there’s been talk within WWE of McIntyre being unhappy with his current situation – the creative direction he’s under, money, and the kind of offer he’s receiving for a renewal.
It was noted that WWE officials are apparently taking serious the possibility that McIntyre is going to let his deal run out instead of agreeing to something he believes is less than what he deserves, or less than what he thinks he has coming.
McIntyre was reportedly originally booked for SmackDown, so pulling him from the show and the signing looks to be a late decision.
This new update could be seen as a conflicting report to the original as it was reported that WWE is eager to re-sign Drew, and are hoping to engage him in contract talks towards the end of the year. The new report indicates that WWE has already offered an extension to McIntyre, which seems likely as they often like to re-sign top talents long before their contracts expire, but that obviously depends on what the wrestler wants to do, and reports are that McIntyre is looking to make a decision later in the year.
It was speculated that McIntyre may have been pulled from this week’s SmackDown, at least in part, due to McIntyre being really beat up from the WrestleMania 39 match with Sheamus and GUNTHER. The idea behind this speculation was that McIntyre just not having to travel and him getting a day off was sort of given to him either at his request, or perhaps the WWE medical team advised that he should have some time off given everything he’s been through.
McIntyre is currently advertised for next Friday’s SmackDown in Lincoln, plus Saturday’s live event in Rio Rancho, and Sunday’s live event in El Paso.
McIntyre has not publicly commented on his status as of this writing.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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