Drew McIntyre is thankful to his arch-nemesis CM Punk for their epic promo segment ahead of WrestleMania 40.
On the March 25 edition of Raw, McIntyre, CM Punk, and then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins traded personal shots. The segment gained traction due to Punk coercing McIntyre to mention Vince McMahon, who is not mentioned anymore in WWE due to allegations. This happened after the Scotsman referred to himself as ‘The Chosen One,’ the nickname that McMahon gave him.
Punk is one of the best talkers in WWE and he possesses commendable promo skills. Speaking with Alex McCarthy of Mail Sport, McIntyre thanked Punk for the segment and said that he knew that the former WWE Champion would bring his ‘A-game’ during the exchange. He said:
“I have to thank him for that I guess. One thing I can thank him for. If he’s got that microphone you know he’s bringing his A-game and perhaps the first time we were in the ring together he was still finding his feet being back in WWE. I think he realized – I know he realized, I could see it in his eyes – this isn’t the same Drew and I had his number the first time we were in the ring together, and I stomped his stupid little arm.”
‘Guns loaded’
‘The Scottish Warrior’ realized that CM Punk would bring his prime version of himself in the battle and the former kept his artillery ready. McIntyre is grateful for the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Punk on the mic and admitted that the “insane” segment escalated quickly. He said:
“The second time, I could see it in his eyes, ‘Right, I’m back, I’ve got all my guns loaded,’ and this is the CM Punk of old. And I knew I could either step up to his level or I can drown and I don’t belong at his level. So it was cool to have that opportunity to go back and forth and have people go, ‘Oh my god, this is insane.’ When you thought it couldn’t get anymore insane it kept escalating and escalating. You have to be quick on your feet and you have to know exactly who you are in this industry if you’re going to compete at the top level.”
McIntyre once again thanked Punk for the segment and even praised the addition of Seth Rollins. He said:
“So I can say thank you to him for showing in that segment everybody that said well, Drew just went to-to-toe with Punk in his prime, on fire. And Seth also added to that segment in what has become something of a legendary segment. It’s all people talk to me about recently.”
While CM Punk recuperates from a torn tricep injury, McIntyre is sidelined with an elbow injury. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ was set to face The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor in the first round of The King of The Ring tournament.
However, he was not medically cleared and was replaced by Jey Uso, who punched his ticket to the next round. CM Punk and Drew McIntyre will lock horns at a later date and reports suggest that it might be at SummerSlam in August.
