After securing his biggest win in recent memory at the Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, Drew McIntyre made his triumphant stateside return in San Jose, California, where he was afforded a sizeable segment of RAW's third hour to speak his mind about the match, his future, WrestleMania 40… and CM Punk.
What, did you think DM Hunk would let a promo opportunity go by without trashing the “Best in the World?” If so, you haven't been paying attention to his all-time hater behavior.
“We did it. I want to take a moment to say thank you, you don't achieve success alone and everyone in this arena, everyone across the world, thank you for putting those hands together and praying harder than you've ever prayed in your entire life. Because of you, this happened, Drew McIntyre versus Seth Rollins for the World Title at WrestleMania,” Drew McIntyre told the crowd on RAW. “I'm gonna be honest, I feel like absolute h*ll; I'm more jetlagged than man right now. I was the first man in that Chamber and the last man standing. I got hurt in there, I got my eardrum blown out, I was stuck in the side of the head, and my eardrum burst, and I had a bit of an incident after the show. I was talking to a doctor, and he looked at me, and he said, ‘Drew, you're hurt, and there's a chance you might not make WrestleMania.' And I looked at him and said, ‘Who do you think I am, CM Punk? Nothing is going to stop me from making Mania!'”
Sitting down in the center of the ring with his legs crossed in a very, very, very deliberate matter, harkening back to the Pipe Bomb and many of Punker's notable promos since, McIntyre doubled down on his criticisms, letting fans know that he gave a few moments of his time to the “Second City Saint” after his huge win in Perth, Australia.
“Now Punk, I know it hurt you not to be part of Chamber. It hurt you, it really hurt you not to be a part of WrestleMania, and it probably kills you to see me in the World Title match,” McIntyre noted, “but I want you to know I thought of you after that match, and I wanted to do something special just for you. I know you're straight-edged; I know you don't drink, so on the way home, I drank twice as much for both of us to celebrate.”
Goodness gracious, after falling into a bit of a rut over the past few months, maybe years following the end of his title reigns during the pandemic, McIntyre has fallen into what very well might be the best character of his career, with a credible belief system that fits naturally into the heel-who-thinks-he's-a-babyface trope while consistently producing social media gold with his generational hater-ism. While 2023 may not have been the perfect time to put a belt on the “Scottish Warrior,” 2024 is shaping up to be a very good year for DM Hunk indeed.
CM Punk vows to make the greatest WWE comeback of all time.
Speaking of CM Punk, while he's only been afforded the very smallest chances to appear on WWE television since suffering his triceps injury at the Royal Rumble, leading to both Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins slandering him whenever afforded a chance, he has been doing select media appearances while on the mend where he can defend himself to an albeit much smaller audience.
Talking to ESPN at UFC 298's post-show, Punk reflected on his absence from WWE television before letting Megan Olivi know that he plans to have the “greatest comeback of all time” later this year.
“Well, I take a lot of inspiration from a lot of UFC fighters. And tonight we saw Illia Topuria, who very much put into the world that he was going to be undefeated and become champion. So, when I say my comeback will be the greatest of all time, I’m doing that for the explicit purpose of putting my money where my mouth is. I’m saying it. I am letting everybody know. And I have to live up to that,” CM Punk said via WrestleZone.
“I won’t come short of anything but the greatest comeback of all time. So to me, right now it’s mental, it’s about doing the PT, and doing the work, and listening to the doctors and all the important people that know way more than I do. And letting this thing heal, before I can start pushing it. But, once I can start pushing it, full steam ahead. It’s exciting being my age, back in the WWE. And being able to not only prove people wrong, but prove myself right. And I’m gonna have fun doing it and it’s going to be the best comeback of all time.”
On paper, it's hard to read/listen to Punk's words and not get hyped up, as even now, some 25 years into his professional wrestling career, he remains one of the premier promos in the game. Unfortunately, Punk's claims become harder to believe when you consider just how many setbacks he's suffered since returning to professional wrestling in 2021, with the “Best in the World” wrestling just 33 matches for AEW over two years due to a potent mixture of injuries and suspensions. Maybe this time will be different, but every time Punk steps foot in the ring moving forward, it's hard not to imagine that he could be out of action indefinitely with one wrong move or bad bump.
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