McIntyre’s frustrations pour out as CM Punk outsmarts him in WWE Draft
After a thrilling start to the 2024 WWE Draft on SmackDown, it reached its conclusion last night on Monday’s edition of Raw. While many surprises unfolded, the shocking tumble of Drew McIntyre to the end of the third round stood out.
McIntyre’s recent change in attitude combined with CM Punk being drafted ahead of him led to significant frustration for the renowned Scottish Warrior.
Throughout the night, CBS Sports provided detailed recaps and highlights of the electrifying action that took place at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
CM Punk outshines Drew McIntyre as the WWE Draft wraps up
Several highly anticipated names were chosen in the earlier rounds. Raw’s first pick, Gunther (along with Ludwig Kaiser), set the tone for the draft, swiftly followed by SmackDown’s acquisition of top prospect Jade Cargill. Raw snagged CM Punk as the first pick in the second round, making him the fifth overall pick on Monday night. Surprisingly, it took until the 11th pick for McIntyre’s name to be announced.
An enraged McIntyre expressed his dissatisfaction, insisting that Punk injured his elbow during their encounter at WrestleMania. McIntyre further declared his dedication to the sport by taping up his injuries and refusing to back down, unlike Punk. The situation escalated when McIntyre tracked Punk down to a luxury box, only for Punk to enter the ring. Helpless, McIntyre had to bear witness as Punk delivered a blistering promo, outlining his plan to make McIntyre’s life a living hell once he recovers from his torn tricep sustained at the Royal Rumble.
As a fan, understanding the WWE Draft is often complicated. It operates outside the realm of pure logic as it aims to establish the Raw and SmackDown rosters for the upcoming year. However, when the picks defy reason, it can become a distraction. Unfortunately, the 2024 draft was one such case. Nevertheless, the ongoing exchanges between Punk and McIntyre continue to showcase their remarkable wit and make valid arguments against one another. Ultimately, it is up to the viewers to determine who holds the moral high ground. Grade: C
For a complete overview of the WWE Draft results, refer to the table below.
| 1 (FRI) | Bianca Belair | Jey Uso |
| Carmelo Hayes | Seth Rollins | |
| 2 | Randy Orton | Bron Breakker |
| Nia Jax | Liv Morgan | |
| 3 | LA Knight | Ricochet |
| The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman) | Sheamus | |
| 4 | AJ Styles | Alpha Academy (Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri) |
| Andrade | Kiana James | |
| 1 (MON) | Jade Cargill | Imperium (Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser) |
| Kevin Owens | Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky, Asuka, Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane) | |
| 2 | The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins & B-Fab) | CM Punk |
| Tiffany Stratton | Braun Strowman | |
| 3 | Legado Del Fantasma | LWO |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | Drew McIntyre | |
| 4 | Naomi | The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio) |
| Chelsea Green & Piper Niven | Ilja Dragunov | |
| 5 | Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) | The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) |
| Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell | Lyra Valkyria | |
| 6 | #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) | The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Akam, Rezar) |
| Blair Davenport | Bronson Reed |
Everything else that unfolded on WWE Raw
- Gunther def. Xavier Woods via submission – Woods succumbed to Gunther’s modified STF after enduring relentless attacks on his leg throughout the match.
- Braun Strowman comes to the rescue – Strowman thwarts an assault on Jey Uso carried out by Logan Paul, JD McDonagh, Finn Balor, and Patrick Mahomes. Earlier in the show, Mahomes joined Paul and The Judgment Day in a segment. After Paul announced the second-round draft picks, he belittled Uso in a promo, claiming Uso would lose to Damian Priest at Backlash. Uso confronted Paul, leading to an ambush by McDonagh and Balor. Mahomes, sitting ringside, inadvertently handed Paul his three Super Bowl rings, but Paul accidentally struck McDonagh with them before finally attacking Uso. Strowman, newly drafted to Raw, returned to chase Paul away and briefly confronted Mahomes.
- Intercontinental Championship — Sami Zayn (c) def. Bronson Reed via disqualification – Chad Gable intervened in the title match, causing a disqualification. Zayn’s earlier Helluva Kick to Gable set off the chain of events, resulting in Reed executing a Tsunami on both Zayn and Gable.
- Candice LeRae secures a win – LeRae pins Maxxine Dupri following a surfboard stomp. Chad Gable had taunted Dupri before the match, and her attention diverted when Indi Hartwell attacked Ivy Nile at ringside.
- Liv Morgan victorious over Nia Jax – Morgan secures a pinfall victory over Jax with Oblivion. The match stemmed from an earlier segment involving both wrestlers and Becky Lynch. Jax had the upper hand but became distracted when Tiffany Stratton and Naomi engaged in a brawl outside the ring, leading to the finish.
- World Tag Team Championship — Awesome Truth (c) prevails against Alpha Academy – After unleashing the Truth-Crushing Finale on Akira Tozawa, Awesome Truth secures the victory. Gable’s attempts to motivate Tozawa and Otis fell short, highlighting Gable’s ongoing challenges with the group.
- Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade overcome The Judgment Day – Uso pins Finn Balor after delivering an Uso Splash, securing the victory for his team. Damian Priest seemed poised to win the match, preparing to slam Uso from the top rope. However, McDonagh’s misguided interference caused Uso to land the pin on Balor instead.
