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Drew McIntyre: ‘I’ve Been The Good Guy All Along’

Originally posted on Fights Around The World
By Mario Mungia | Last updated Jun 11, 2024 9:26 AM ET

The Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, played host to the go-home edition of Monday Night RAW just six days away from “The Clash at the Castle.” CATC will be in Scotland, the home country of Drew McIntyre, who will challenge for Damian Priest’s heavyweight title.

Last week closed out just as Priest and the rest of TJD were able to turn the tide on McIntyre, putting him through a table and standing over him. Drew opened the episode and Priest and the rest of Judgement Day eventually made their way ringside. This felt familiar, probably because it was the exact same action plot points as the opening segment of this program. What ended up being different was the escalation of the program. Priest challenged McIntyre to face Finn Balor with a sweetener, and if he could beat Balor in the evening’s main event, then the entire Judgement Day would be barred from ringside in Scotland.

However, if Balor won, then TJD could be ringside (?). It was not a well-thought-out segment, considering there is almost zero rationality in putting something up that hurts you without gaining anything from it. This could be a huge mistake if Balor cannot win, considering Drew will have one of the most passionate combat sports demographics worldwide. There were plenty that picked up on Balor’s face when he was offered up to Drew, and he seemed to not know the plan heading into the ring. If you combine that with the dissension caused by Dominik Mysterio “helping” Liv Morgan by attempting to hurt her. While they used the heavyweight title feud to be infused with the current Dom-Liv storyline, it did not really hit this week and felt a lot more like harassment.

DADDY DOM #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/ltezxSSeIm

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2024

Liv eventually invited Dom to her hotel, and it feels like the company is going backward with the way they view female superstars. Would you ever see Roman Reigns being playfully sexy while he attempts to seduce a female on the roster to get the upper hand? And that is the other thing: Liv has the title, and Rhea is hurt, so what does this do for her if she already has the title?

A No Judgement Clash At The Castle

There was a lot made of how much Drew has benefited from interference in his matches, and plenty of those times were at the hands of The Judgement Day. In this match, he had to work against that same virtue, which was brilliant writing.

The Claymore landed on Finn, and Drew will now be the only one with an army ringside in Scotland. This new development is interesting and gives Priest a chance to win this weekend in a clean babyface manner; leaning into the rumors, TJD is heading towards a split with Priest coming out a face.

Gable And Otis Saga Continues… Sorta

Another week. Another .#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/0G6RFcq4zE

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2024

WWE missed a huge chance to capitalize on the great storytelling momentum from this feud. It has been slow but in the best way. Almost nothing came from this week’s edition of their saga. Still, the time is coming when Otis will have us all in the palm of his hands, and we will get that amazing TV moment of him ultimately turning against Gable. However, with the Scotland show coming up, this week felt phoned in a bit.

Other Matches And Tidbits

Valkyrie took another loss, this time to Sky. It is a shame that her momentum was lost after a great Queen of the Ring run.
LWO defeated The Judgement Day with Carlito. This feud needs some stakes infused into it, as it feels like a repeat each week. However, with a trip to Scotland coming up, the Latin side of the roster is clearly not a priority.

This article first appeared on Fights Around The World and was syndicated with permission.

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