Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that, despite challenging for, winning, and losing the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 and headlining the following night's Raw, Drew McIntyre still has yet to sign a new contract with WWE.
He wrote, "even though this isn't customary of previous eras of WWE, we're told it's not cause for alarm with the new regime, and has become quite common. We're told that each situation will likely be different, and that there are plans for McIntyre in the company, and they plan on retaining him."
It is somewhat astonishing that WWE would put the effort into building McIntyre into this top-tier heel, prominently featuring him on the biggest show of the year, and continuously intensifying a rivalry with CM Punk without having him locked into a long-term deal.
With AEW owner Tony Khan planning to be very active and aggressive in free agency, WWE is taking a huge risk in heating McIntyre to the extent they have and not putting pen to paper immediately.
Handing over a genuine star like McIntyre to Khan, when he is as hot as he is and has ever been, would be the sort of mistake the company should never make, regardless of how hot it is.
Get the deal done, pay McIntyre for all that he has done over the last six months to prove himself a star beyond the pandemic-era Thunderdome, and ensure he is not free to negotiate elsewhere for the foreseeable future.
