38-year-old former champion to quit WWE on RAW following Royal Rumble loss? Analyzing potential direction

The WWE Royal Rumble Premium Live Event set the tone for WrestleMania 40.

However, Drew McIntyre's dream of headlining The Show of Shows went up in flames as he failed to win the 30-man Royal Rumble match. The Scottish Warrior made it to the final four before getting eliminated by CM Punk.

The clock is ticking for McIntyre's WWE run, as he has yet to re-sign with the Stamford-based promotion. Another title opportunity seems out of the question for the 38-year-old star.

Cody Rhodes chose Roman Reigns over Seth "Freakin" Rollins as his potential WrestleMania opponent. This leaves The Visionary without a challenger for The Show of Shows unless the company decides to book a traditional Elimination Chamber match to crown the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but Drew McIntyre has run out of chances. He has no one to blame but himself, which is why he could "quit" WWE (kayfabe) during Monday Night RAW this week.

Triple H could keep him off the television until Elimination Chamber in Australia and bring him back either to face CM Punk or insert him as a surprise participant in the namesake match.

---

Drew McIntyre puts CM Punk on notice ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40

Speaking to ReviewSTL, Drew McIntyre revealed what he'd do to CM Punk if they were to get in the ring with each other in the future:

"CM Punk, the most controversial guy in wrestling for sure, has made his return," McIntyre said. "Seems very positive right now, the crowd are certainly very positive. He's a huge star and I'm going to keep prodding at him and see if he cracks. Hopefully, if he doesn't, he gets in the ring with me, and then I'll physically crack him. Easy peasy."

Like McIntyre, Punk failed to fulfill his prophecy at Royal Rumble 2024. Will the two stalwarts collide in a high-stakes match at Elimination Chamber next month? Only time will tell.

---

Who would you like to see Seth "Freakin" Rollins defend his title against at WrestleMania XL? Sound off in the comments section below.