Drew McIntyre's WrestleMania program needed heel faction's involvement, 57-year-old says

Drew McIntyre was lowkey the most valuable WWE Superstar in 2024. Fans have come to believe his program with Damian Priest for WrestleMania 41 is a demotion. Wrestling veteran Konnan disagreed with this sentiment, while Disco Inferno wondered if Priest would have been better off if he had not left The Judgment Day.

McIntyre drove a tough bargain heading into WrestleMania last year and went on to work several engaging angles, with his rivalry with CM Punk eclipsing everything. Meanwhile, Priest broke out from The Judgment Day as a singles competitor when he won his first World Heavyweight Title against the Scot at the Show of Shows. However, he left the nest during the summer.

On K100, Konnan said Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest is a decent program for the Scotsman. He noted that WWE could not push every talented athlete on the roster at the same time, adding that the company could always return to McIntyre. Disco Inferno feels The Judgment Day is missing out on McIntyre and Priest's program and the other way around. He feels Priest looked best during his time with the faction.

"So [Damian] Priest became a world champion [at WrestleMania XL]. He has since lost the belt and is no longer with The Judgment Day; now he's just a singles guy, and he is in no man's land character-wise," Inferno said. "They would be doing a lot better TV with this angle if Priest were still with The Judgment Day." [From 4:44 to 5:18]

Priest humbled McIntyre twice at crucial moments on the road to WrestleMania 41, and now the Scotsman wants to make him pay.

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Drew McIntyre has finally made a case for facing Damian Priest at WrestleMania

Since his move to SmackDown in 2025, Drew McIntyre teased several prospective feuds against big names like The Bloodline and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. In the end, WWE booked him with Damian Priest for WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas on April 19-20.

This program felt soulless in its early stages. Fans were not invested right out of the gate, but Drew McIntyre has given them a reason to care.

The former WWE Champion said Damian Priest utilized every opportunity that came the latter's way at his expense in the last year. This detail was singled out during Notsam Wrestling, as WWE analyst Sam Roberts noted fans were so focused on McIntyre's feud with CM Punk that nobody foresaw this grudge match.

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Please credit the source and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.