At next month's SummerSlam, Drew McIntyre will challenge GUNTHER for the Intercontinental Championship. Prior to his return at Money in the Bank, we hadn't seen the Scottish Superstar since WrestleMania and reports about his in-ring future soon started swirling during that three-month period.
Some dirt sheets claimed he was looking to leave WWE, potentially signing with AEW in time for Wembley Stadium's All Out. We also heard McIntyre's contract was nearing its end and that he wanted more money and better creative.
Triple H dismissed the online reports during the Money in the Bank press conference, but it sounds like there was truth to at least some of them.
"It was cool, getting the break," McIntyre tells TMZ Sports (h/t WrestlingNews.co). "There were a lot of rumours and headlines on the internet when I was out, probably like 50 different things. It was amazing all the stories about me out there. When you're not, you're not on TV, people talk, and you know, there might have been some smoke to some fire with a few of them, but it was nice."
"People were talking about me when I wasn't there, but I did have to get some things fixed physically. Unlike injuries, I've had in the past. There was no rehab involved, so I was actually able to enjoy my time at home, work on some outside projects, spend time with the Mrs and the cat, and take a step outside of the bubble and kind of get perspective again."
When it comes to which rumours might have had some truth to them, we're guessing it was those stories about McIntyre wanting a more compelling storyline upon his return. This feud with GUNTHER is certainly a good start and the Scotsman sounds excited about the SummerSlam match.
"GUNTHER is an incredible competitor," he says. "He really has reestablished the Intercontinental Title as a premier title that he used to be back in the day when Brett Hart had it, when Shawn Michaels had it when Drew McIntyre had it about, oh my goodness, 13 years ago now or something like that. So I'm excited to get a big match with him."
As great as GUNTHER's record-breaking run has been, we'd love to see the title on McIntyre. As a babyface and former WWE Champion, he could definitely add a lot of prestige to the rehabbed championship.
Do you think he'll emerge victorious at SummerSlam?