Outside of maybe Chad Gable, nobody in the WWE Universe had a more eventful week than Drew McIntyre.
From losing his match at Clash at the Castle against Damian Priest in heartbreaking fashion, with CM Punk throwing on a referee's shirt to interfere with the ultimate outcome, to declaring that he quit the promotion outright on Monday only to show up on SmackDown on Friday to beat the “Best in the World” so bad he was left bloody on the floor without his prized family bracelet, fans waited with bated breath to see what the “Scottish Warrior” would have to say and if he would be a heel or a babyface moving forward.
Welp, if anyone thought Punk screwing McIntyre was him turning heel, then you weren't on the same page as WWE Creative at all, as McIntyre marched into the ring during the opening segment of RAW with a rage in his eyes borderline unmatched by any of his recent performances and went off of the former AEW World Champion and his fans in the crowd.
First running through his actions to the crowd, who chanted Punk's name until McIntyre let them know he wasn't interested in their commentary, the pride of Ayr, Scotland turned his attention to the “Second City Saint” directly, letting him know that his Larry-AJ bracelet isn't the only thing he's coming for, as the former three-time WWE World Champion plans to pursue becoming Mr. Money in the Bank and turning on of his career's big weaknesses into a strength in the pursuit of championship gold.
Now granted, did McIntyre inadvertently let it be known that he will be going for the Money in the Bank briefcase, and opening things up for Punk to get on a plane to Toronto to ruin his match once more? Yes, while there's no guarantee that happens, as Punk would instead ruing his money in a qualifying match on RAW, that feels like a perfect opportunity to make McIntyre even more upset and push this feud even further into the future. Either way, if you were hoping this feud would go on the back burner for a few weeks until Punk is cleared to wrestle – which, let's be honest, no one is – then you're out of luck, as McIntyre just upped the ante and the “Best in the World” will soon do his part to take it up even higher.
Drew McIntyre turns against the fans and their love of CM Punk.
Speaking of Drew McIntyre's promo on RAW, while the “Scottish Warrior” had a ton to say about CM Punk, his family, and his Money in the Bank plans, he first wanted to address the WWE Universe straight up and let them know that after months of chanting the “Best in the World's” name, he doesn't want anything to do with them moving forward, as they are either with him or against him.
“I prayed for this, and the big man made it happen. Me. And each and every one of you that have been chanting Punl's name for months now, I am done with you,” Drew McIntyre declared to the crowd on RAW. “When you chant his name, it's just in memory of (him) now, you've spent months listening to me tell you what kind of person he is, you've watched what he's done to me at WrestleMania, Clash at the Castle; screwed me over in front of my family, my friends, my country. I promised my wife, my sick wife, the world title, and he prevented that, and you still chant his d**n name! As far as I'm concerned (if) you're chanting his name, you're dead to me, so now you all don't exist!”
You know, while fans on RAW were surely surprised to hear what McIntyre had to say in the moment, on paper, they really shouldn't be too surprised, as the “Scottish Warrior” has been met with “CM Punk” chants for the better part of six months now whenever he enters the ring despite the fact that the two men are very much foes, not friends. If McIntyre was trying to stay a tweener who told it like it was and tried to produce the best results for the fans, then trying to keep the crowd on his side would make sense, but now, with any redeeming qualities left in a bloody heap on the floor of a Chicago arena, it's safe to say the “Scottish Warrior” has one thing on his mind and it's not being a merch-selling fan favorite.