Drew McIntyre is in the main event of WWE's upcoming Clash At The Castle premium live event, but a back injury has reportedly been slowing him down as of late. He's been heavily involved in SmackDown over the last several weeks, and the company badly needs him to be operating near his peak for the first stadium show in the United Kingdom in decades. After beating Sheamus in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match on July 30, The Scottish Warrior earned the right to take on Roman Reigns for the unified championship at that premium live event.
With more than 60,000 tickets sold, missing McIntyre would be devastating for WWE. There aren't many credible superstars who'd be capable of stepping into McIntyre's spot if he couldn't wrestle at Clash At The Castle. Reigns has beaten every former Universal Champion at least once, and WWE couldn't just go back to Brock Lesnar after the two fought at SummerSlam in a match that was supposedly their last ever. Maybe Sheamus would be inserted into that match, but he doesn't have the same pull as Drew at this career stage.
Luckily, a recent report from Fightful Select indicates that, while he is working through an injury, McIntyre isn't expected to miss Clash At The Castle. "Drew McIntyre was pulled from the road for this weekend's shows, Fightful Select can confirm. McIntyre has been dealing with a rough back injury and has needed additional time to rest. We're told that surgery isn't expected... He's still expected to compete at Clash at the Castle."
Drew McIntyre Beating Roman Reigns Feels Like It Could Happen
Fans who watched the most recent episode of Friday Night SmackDown might be surprised to learn that McIntyre is hurt. He was involved in multiple segments, including an in-ring promo, a backstage attack, and a tag-team match against The Usos. It didn't seem like McIntyre was limited in terms of physicality, which is good news for WWE and the Clash At The Castle card.
It's not hyperbolic to say that the premium live event is built around McIntyre. It'll be a homecoming of sorts for the Ayr, United Kingdom native. Given that the entire Principality Stadium will be behind him, there's a real feeling that he could actually be the one to end Roman Reigns' dominance over the world championship scene. He doesn't wrestle enough to hold both Raw and SmackDown titles, and now that Vince McMahon is gone, there have been some fundamental changes to WWE's makeup. McIntyre winning at Clash At The Castle would be a career-making highlight and give WWE one of the loudest pops in history to show on promo packages for years to come.
Source: Fightful Select