The Story Of Wrestling #15: CM Punk and Drew McIntyre Face Off!
From WWE, Wrestling Inc., and Ringside News
Welcome to The Story Of Wrestling, a blog series about storylines and characters from pro wrestling. In the March 25 episode of Raw, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and Seth “Freakin” Rollins had an ICONIC Face Off! But today, we’ll only focus on…
Punk and Drew
Finally, CM Punk talked about Drew McIntyre. Punk said that he hasn’t mentioned a word because he doesn’t live on the internet. I think that’s true. A few years ago, I heard from a CM Punk interview that he still watches DVDs today. I get that. He is not the techie type. He said that he handles his business live and in living color, it’s the Chicago way. You handle it face-to-face like a man.
Drew McIntyre’s music hits and he comes out. But then CM Punk shouted, “Turn of that stupid song! Nobody wants to listen to that.” That’s funny. The staff at the back did turn off the song. Drew McIntyre’s music fits his character, but it’s not the type of music you’ll put on your Spotify/YouTube Music Playlist. Punk shouted again, “I ain’t medically cleared, but I’m not looking to have a wrestling match, why don’t you get your b*tch a$$ in here.” This is fantastic. We got CM Punk! chants for that. I think wrestlers are trained to let the audience chant for a few seconds. They don’t interrupt chants right away.
SHOP CM Punk Merch
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From WWE and Wrestletalk
“I would love to get into that ring and beat your arse, but don’t you remember what happened the last time when we were in the ring together?,” Drew McIntyre said. He said that he stomped his arm. I don’t think he did, but that’s what you do in wrestling. If you have a match with somebody who got legitimately injured, you take credit for it, and you can make that a program/angle in the future.
“Are you a Scottish Psychopath on a Kilt, or are you an internet troll on a skirt? Let’s find out,” CM Punk asked, and then he sat on the second rope to invite Drew in. That is an insulting gesture. Guys sit on the second rope so that women, especially those who are not wrestlers, can enter the ring comfortably.
Drew McIntyre walked towards the ring, warning Punk he might get canceled from things he was saying. Drew Mentioned that he prayed for this. This is divine intervention. CM Punk is injured in the middle of the ring, while Drew McIntyre is on his way to Wrestlemania for the World Heavyweight Championship. He highlighted that he is wearing a shirt that says “The Savior of Wrestlemania” in front. On the back is a checklist with the first item saying injure CM Punk. But then Punk interrupted him shouting, “Drew McIntyre, I ain’t never had to put another man’s name on a t-shirt to sell it!” What a great line. I don’t think that’s scripted. I would bet many lines from this interaction were off the cuff.
Drew struggled to take off his shirt to show his second shirt, the one with a tombstone and RIP CM Punk on Wrestlemania or something. He said that he struggled to take off the shirt because of his bicep, something CM Punk is not familiar with. Punk has never been a muscle guy. Drew McIntyre climbed up the announce table to talk to Punk. “You never drink. You never do drugs. Yet you spend all your time in rehab,” great line from Drew. CM Punk is famously straight-edged in real life. No drinks and drugs for this guy. But also in real life, he gets injured a lot. He is injured now. He was also injured in AEW before leaving that promotion.
From WWE and 411Mania
SHOP Drew McIntyre Merch
“You Complete Me,” Drew McIntyre told Punk. (What?)
But then Drew said, “I don’t hate you Punk. You complete me.” What? We got laughs from the fans. Punk sighed and closed his eyes. I think this is the scripted part of the promo. I hope a writer wrote that for Drew. I don’t know where they were going with that line. Is that like a Joker-Batman thing? In The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s Joker told Batman, “You complete me.” Drew said that he thinks about Punk every time he lifts heavy weights. He even thought about Punk inside the Elimination Chamber. I don’t understand it yet. Are they building a Drew McIntyre character who is obsessed with CM Punk? That could be interesting. Even if he wins the Heavyweight Championship on Wrestlemania, his obsession is to fight CM Punk. Defending the belt is just secondary. Obsession is the stronger motivation.
But then CM Punk interrupted him, “I can’t hear a word you’re saying. Why don’t you come into this ring and speak into my good ear? COME ON YOU COWARD!” This is brilliant. Drew can’t get into the ring because they scripted that Seth Rollins would come out and interact with Punk in the ring while Drew interacts with Punk on the announce table. It’s also referencing the irony that on Wrestlemania, it is Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins who would be in the ring, while CM Punk, as much as he wants to wrestle, will be on commentary.
Drew’s response was a brilliant heel/villain line. He wants to get in the ring, but Punk probably has a weapon in there, just like other Chicago residents, and take him out before Wrestlemania. Wrestlers do that, they take a shot against the audience. CM Punk lied down in the ring to show that he was harmless. Drew McIntyre then sat on the announce table. He said that he wants Punk to be on Wrestlemania with a front-row seat.
But Drew then said a line that I don’t know if they wrote it on the script or not. It felt off the cuff again. Drew said that he has always been “The Chosen One.” CM Punk brilliantly replied by shouting, “Chosen One! Who chose you? Who? What was his name?” Holy sh*t. Vince McMahon is so toxic now in WWE that he is Voldemort. He who shall not be named. You can’t mention the last name anymore in WWE. Drew laughed. CM Punk continued, “You got the balls to say you’re the Chosen One. Tell me. What paragon of good virtue chose you? It wasn’t the people in Chicago.”
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From Wrestle with Andy YouTube
My Wrestlemania Prediction for Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is inferring that this is the best thing CM Punk can do, either commentary or be a referee. In reality, it is. He is still months from getting cleared. Drew wants Punk to be in commentary so he can have a front seat when Drew McIntyre finally gets his moment to win the World Heavyweight Championship with live fans in a stadium. And that is my prediction too. I think Drew McIntryre wins. But let me incorporate and borrow the prediction of Luke Owen from Wrestletalk. I think The Rock will somehow cause Seth Rollins to lose the match. He may or may not do it directly, but The Rock would be the architect of Seth losing the title. Drew McIntyre wins the World Heavyweight Championship and rubs it all over CM Punk.
SHOP Drew McIntyre Merch
