Wrestling veteran reveals possible reason for WWE bringing back Drew McIntyre early

Drew McIntyre made his surprise return on WWE RAW after Survivor Series. The Scottish Warrior popped up after the main event match between Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins.

He attacked Zayn with a Claymore, confirming fan speculation that he's still a heel. The star was last seen in a Hell in a Cell Match against CM Punk at Bad Blood in October earlier this year.

On a recent edition of Live Q&A on Backstage Pass, Bill Apter addressed McIntyre's WWE return, noting that the superstar's surprise appearance might be tied to Bronson Reed's injury.

"I haven't heard any updates [on Reed's injury] except that this is the reason, I figure, that Drew McIntyre was brought back so quickly... to be the heel, to replace Bronson Reed. I didn't think Drew was gonna come back until the Royal Rumble or do a run-in at Saturday Night's Main Event." [38:15 onwards]

Apter continued by saying that Reed's injury was a loss for WWE because of how much they have invested in terms of building him up as a legitimate heel during the past months.

"Bronson Reed being out, even for a month or so, is a big loss [for WWE] because they've raised him up to a high heel level that he really deserves too," stated Apter. [37:52 onwards]

Apter's comments seemingly confirm PWInsider's report that Bronson Reed's unfortunate injury caused WWE to change their plans as they pertained to Drew McIntyre's RAW return.

Elsewhere on the podcast, WrestleVotes provided an injury update on the former NXT North American Champion. Fans will have to wait to see when and where Bronson Reed appears next.

Check out the complete Live Q&A with WrestleVotes and Bill Apter only on Backstage Pass.