It's the feud that captivated the hearts and minds of WWE fans throughout all of 2024; CM Punk versus Drew McIntyre. What started out as a freak accident during the Royal Rumble match where McIntyre put Punk on the shelf for seven months, turned into one of the most heated rivalries in recent memory. Blood was shed, bodies were bruised, and bracelets were destroyed in the near year-long feud, and now that the dust has settled, McIntyre went in depth about his feud with the former WWE Champion in an interview with The Daily Mail, and in a moment that many fans didn't see coming, McIntyre actually had some kind words for Punk.
"We both are aware we've got certain magic with each other," McIntyre explained. "It's a tale as old as time. The more people have a genuine disdain for each other, people can truly feel it. And if you're actually good at your job, like we are, it does create magic. And the whole process was magic, and the cell itself was a match that we talked about forever."
Another thing that McIntyre praised about Punk was the fact that he was able to eat all of the verbal shots he threw at him on social media, something he hasn't been able to get away with other people.
"On TV, I can only go so far, but, on social, but it's my social. You can't tell me what to do," McIntyre said. "I went overboard. And the company could have asked me to pull back if they wanted me to, and I'd have said, 'No, it's my social'. But I went at him and went at him. And I've done that with a couple of people, and they have got a boo-boo face. Not that I care, but he didn't. "
One of the things that McIntyre knew about the feud was that people would resonate with it as a lot of it was based in reality. McIntyre legitimately didn't like Punk, he genuinely did walk out of Survivor Series 2023 when Punk returned at the end of the show, and knew that the former WWE Champion returning to the company was as much of a business decision as it was for the fans. However, with all of these building blocks in place, McIntyre didn't have the highest of hopes when it came to feuding with the Straight Edge Superstar.
"I didn't really anticipate anything in the beginning, I was dealing with my personal feelings towards him, understanding why he was brought in. It's a numbers thing," McIntyre continued. "He sells a lot of T-shirts. And after the injury, I was going to exploit it. And it's interesting, my name wasn't mentioned once when it came to dream matches for CM Punk. And I was like, 'Yeah, weird. It's almost as if there's a guy that was around him all this time when he was a terrible person who might have stories.'"
McIntyre explained that John Cena's 2025 retirement tour is very similar to the way his feud with Punk started out. He doesn't usually see fans mentioning his name when the conversation of who Cena should face in his final year should be, despite the fact that he has not only been around for the vast majority of the time Cena has been with the company, but the fact that he debuted with the company while Cena was the face of WWE. However, McIntyre knows how good he is at his job, and will happily make something out of nothing if given the opportunity.
The tale of CM Punk versus Drew McIntyre might be over for now, but since everything has settled down, McIntyre has learned something very important about his wrestling career; whether he is involved in a story with someone he doesn't get along with, he absolutely loves being part of WWE right now.
"With the Punk process, having so much real feeling, so much material, and not just my ideas...obviously creative are just absolutely on fire, and with Hunter leading the charges, setting these awesome shots up for me, all I have to do is put it in the back of the net," McIntyre admitted. "It was an interesting and fun process, and it's better than any therapy in the world. I don't need a therapist to talk to, I've got a microphone every week, because you see some of the stuff I say, especially these days, even talking about my personal tragedies and the likes I sounded out on TV. And during the Punk stuff, I was sounding out a lot of feelings when he came back eventually and started saying his piece."
McIntyre has already opened up about how he essentially never fully dealt with the death of his mother in 2012, and in 2024 he not only lost another close family member shortly after Bad Blood in October, but he was also on another continent when he found out his wife had been rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. The Scotsman has found a better balance in prioritising what's important in his own life, and that has reflected in his work in the ring as he is currently enjoying arguably the most successful period of his entire career.
Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and thanks to The Daily Mail for the transcription.
