Official Smackdown thread

[The Q]

https://wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/drew-mcintyre-reportedly-unhappy-with-creative-and-money-presented-to-him-by-wwe

For my money, the best overall talent in wrestling right now. If he somehow showed up at Wembley in August that would be a Hall/Nash on Nitro caliber moment.

One of the few guys acceptable enough to dethrone Roman (imagine all the low/mid card guys being thrown around for this lol)

Would be a big miss to let him go

 

[futballiscool]

One of the few guys acceptable enough to dethrone Roman (imagine all the low/mid card guys being thrown around for this lol)

Would be a big miss to let him go

I thought Clash at the Castle was the perfect time to pull the trigger on that but Drew just lost clean at WM. I don't think Drew beating Roman is in their plans anytime soon.
Also Meltzer is saying his absence is strictly injury related so take the initial report with a grain of salt

 

[The Q]

I thought Clash at the Castle was the perfect time to pull the trigger on that but Drew just lost clean at WM. I don't think Drew beating Roman is in their plans anytime soon.
Also Meltzer is saying his absence is strictly injury related so take the initial report with a grain of salt

Yeah, BN booking him there is brutal

 

[wildturkey]

https://wrestlingnews.co/wwe-news/drew-mcintyre-reportedly-unhappy-with-creative-and-money-presented-to-him-by-wwe

For my money, the best overall talent in wrestling right now. If he somehow showed up at Wembley in August that would be a Hall/Nash on Nitro caliber moment.

FWIW, I don't think his contract is actually up until after AEW's London show. From all the reports, it sounds like its up some time in Nov or Dec.

 

[futballiscool]

FWIW, I don't think his contract is actually up until after AEW's London show. From all the reports, it sounds like its up some time in Nov or Dec.

Yeah, that appears to be true but this was one of the lines from the Keller report:

"He was gonna be at SmackDown and now he has been pulled so I think that situation will probably, based on what I'm hearing, be decided pretty quickly one way or the other."

That sounded to me like this could be resolved by the summer. Endeavor is now paying most of the bill in any potential standoff.
Realistically I'd be very surprised if leaves WWE and shocked if he was at All In but its potentially such an epic moment I had to least mention the possibility

 

[The Q]

Yeah, that appears to be true but this was one of the lines from the Keller report:

"He was gonna be at SmackDown and now he has been pulled so I think that situation will probably, based on what I'm hearing, be decided pretty quickly one way or the other."

That sounded to me like this could be resolved by the summer. Endeavor is now paying most of the bill in any potential standoff.
Realistically I'd be very surprised if leaves WWE and shocked if he was at All In but its potentially such an epic moment I had to least mention the possibility

For him to get to in it would mean he’d have to get cut by…Memorial Day?

 

[wildturkey]

For him to get to in it would mean he’d have to get cut by…Memorial Day?

If he were fired, yeah. There's usually a 90 day non-compete whenever a talent gets fired. But if his contract runs out, he's free to go anywhere as soon as it expires.

 

[The Q]

If he were fired, yeah. There's usually a 90 day non-compete whenever a talent gets fired. But if his contract runs out, he's free to go anywhere as soon as it expires.

Yeah I think they said it expired eoy though, so he’d need to get cut

 

[futballiscool]

For him to get to in it would mean he’d have to get cut by…Memorial Day?

If he were fired, yeah. There's usually a 90 day non-compete whenever a talent gets fired. But if his contract runs out, he's free to go anywhere as soon as it expires.

This is generally true although I feel like there have been exceptions. Andrade comes to mind as one (I think?)

Another interesting thing about Drew possibly coming to AEW is Dynamite is the equivalent of Smackdown in the UK in the sense that it's broadcast on free TV as opposed to cable there. Making a British wrestler the centerpiece star of the promotion makes a lot of sense.

I'd be shocked if it happens but Drew jobbing clean at WM, AEW announcing a show at a 90000 seat venue in the UK and reports from Keller on Drew's unhappiness with his WWE contract negotiations all happening within the same week makes speculating about it fun

 

[The Q]

This is generally true although I feel like there have been exceptions. Andrade comes to mind as one (I think?)

Another interesting thing about Drew possibly coming to AEW is Dynamite is the equivalent of Smackdown in the UK in the sense that it's broadcast on free TV as opposed to cable there. Making a British wrestler the centerpiece star of the promotion makes a lot of sense.

I'd be shocked if it happens but Drew jobbing clean at WM, AEW announcing a show at a 90000 seat venue in the UK and reports from Keller on Drew's unhappiness with his WWE contract negotiations all happening within the same week makes speculating about it fun

It kills me that we’re stuck with human garbage like Becky and Bianca, who can’t hold Drew’s jock, and he’s gonna get the short end of the stick

 

[wildturkey]

This is generally true although I feel like there have been exceptions. Andrade comes to mind as one (I think?)

Another interesting thing about Drew possibly coming to AEW is Dynamite is the equivalent of Smackdown in the UK in the sense that it's broadcast on free TV as opposed to cable there. Making a British wrestler the centerpiece star of the promotion makes a lot of sense.

I'd be shocked if it happens but Drew jobbing clean at WM, AEW announcing a show at a 90000 seat venue in the UK and reports from Keller on Drew's unhappiness with his WWE contract negotiations all happening within the same week makes speculating about it fun

The Andrade one is more circumstantial. It's largely believed they let him out of his contract as a bonus to Charlotte, whose contract was coming due soon. They wanted to keep her happy.

 

[futballiscool]

The Andrade one is more circumstantial. It's largely believed they let him out of his contract as a bonus to Charlotte, whose contract was coming due soon. They wanted to keep her happy.

Malaki Black was also on AEW TV a month after his release and wrestling on Dynamite within 2 months. There could be extenuating circumstances on that one as well but recently it hasn't been 90 days for every wrestler.

 

[wildturkey]

Malaki Black was also on AEW TV a month after his release and wrestling on Dynamite within 2 months. There could be extenuating circumstances on that one as well but recently it hasn't been 90 days for every wrestler.

That was different though. WWE fucked that up. When WWE first called him up, they forgot to convert his contract to a main roster contract. Main roster contracts have 90 day non-competes while NXT contracts (at the time, may have changed it since) only had 30 day non-competes. So when they fired Black (stupidly) on one of their many cutting sprees at the time, Black only had to sit out 30 days.

 

[Shane_O_Mac812]

It kills me that we’re stuck with human garbage like Becky and Bianca, who can’t hold Drew’s jock, and he’s gonna get the short end of the stick

Ok this is a little extreme. I get if you don't like their wrestling or characters, but human garbage????

 

[wazzu31]

If Drew does leave would any WWE fan actually notice? It’d be a nice get for AEW if they want to start touring in Europe but Drew is just a dude in the WWE, not his fault Covid hit but it is what it is.

 

[futballiscool]

If Drew does leave would any WWE fan actually notice? It’d be a nice get for AEW if they want to start touring in Europe but Drew is just a dude in the WWE, not his fault Covid hit but it is what it is.

The company's booking has centered around Roman for the past 7 years so the most valuable people are all in the bloodline story right now.
I just think Drew is someone who gives instant credibility to another company. He looks like a star, talks like a star and is capable of putting on big time main event matches. He's also in his mid/late 30s so this is last real window for a mega push. The Clash at the Castle moment hurt him in terms of perception.

 

[ill]

The company's booking has centered around Roman for the past 7 years so the most valuable people are all in the bloodline story right now.
I just think Drew is someone who gives instant credibility to another company. He looks like a star, talks like a star and is capable of putting on big time main event matches. He's also in his mid/late 30s so this is last real window for a mega push. The Clash at the Castle moment hurt him in terms of perception.

I agree. He can feud with anyone and the fans love him. He looks like he might be one of the nicest guys in the lockerroom too.

the story they have been building with him and Sheamus has been pretty great too...hopefully he can get back in the ring soon and they can keep going with it.

 

[wazzu31]

The company's booking has centered around Roman for the past 7 years so the most valuable people are all in the bloodline story right now.
I just think Drew is someone who gives instant credibility to another company. He looks like a star, talks like a star and is capable of putting on big time main event matches. He's also in his mid/late 30s so this is last real window for a mega push. The Clash at the Castle moment hurt him in terms of perception.

Without question I think Drew would actually be good for AEW, I just don’t think any WWE fan would notice if he wasn’t on Raw or Smackdown

 

[The Q]

Without question I think Drew would actually be good for AEW, I just don’t think any WWE fan would notice if he wasn’t on Raw or Smackdown

i think that says more about how much Banana Nose has screwed him up

He was on FIRE before the biblical plague took over.

Vince didn't exactly handle him the best way ever, but far better than whatever BN has done.

 

[wazzu31]

i think that says more about how much Banana Nose has screwed him up

He was on FIRE before the biblical plague took over.

Vince didn't exactly handle him the best way ever, but far better than whatever BN has done.

I wasn’t trying to imply he isn’t good or anything, and ya it was terrible that Covid hit when he was becoming the guy but life is about timing like Ric Flair is lucky he was 70’s and 80’s more than the 90’s. I just don’t think WWE would miss him.