Why WWE Has Added Time to Drew McIntyre’s Contract, Backstage Updates on His WWE Future

WWE currently has Drew McIntyre locked in until WrestleMania 40 season as more time was automatically added to his deal.

McIntyre fueled the rumor mill today when doing media to promote WWE Superstar Spectacle in India as he was asked about online reports on how he has not signed a new WWE contract yet. McIntyre basically danced around the answer, but acknowledged that he has seen people talking about his future online, adding that he focuses on the present, not the past or future.

When asked this week if there has been any movement in signing McIntyre to a new contract, WWE sources noted to PWInsider that the company has been mostly focused on finalizing the Endeavor acquisition, which is expected to close next week, so there wasn’t much, if any, movement in the McIntyre contract situation.

With that said, one WWE source revealed that there was additional time added to McIntyre’s contract due to how he took three months off earlier this year. Word now is that McIntyre is under contract with WWE until around WrestleMania 40, and now the two sides still have around seven months to finalize a new deal, if McIntyre is staying. It was also noted that WWE officials did not rush to lock McIntyre into a new deal as they had time to work on it, which is in line with one of the narratives floated around earlier this summer.

McIntyre took time off right after WrestleMania 39, where he and Sheamus were defeated by WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, but he then returned at Money In the Bank on July 1 to continue the feud with the leader of Imperium. WWE hoped McIntyre would return before Money In the Bank but he wanted a strong storyline to return with, and an agreement was reached just days before he returned following GUNTHER’s title defense over Matt Riddle, who is currently McIntyre’s tag team partner.

It was reported earlier this year that McIntyre’s current deal would expire in early 2024. There were initial reports that said McIntyre had not signed a new deal yet, and that he likely would not return until the two sides came to an agreement on how he would be used moving forward. However, it was later said that McIntyre and WWE were not even in contract negotiation, in part because there was so much time left before the deal expired in early 2024.

It was also reported that one significant issue had to do with how McIntyre would be used creatively, particularly how meaningful his storylines will be. There was a belief that with less than one year left on his deal, McIntyre did not want to be aimlessly floating around the storylines when he has already proven, during the COVID-19 pandemic, how important he can be to the overall company, and not just as an in-ring competitor, but as an overall ambassador to the WWE brand.

WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H appeared during the Money In the Bank post-show press conference in July and was asked if locking McIntyre in is a priority. He said it is a priority, and then said the amount of speculation on McIntyre has been funny. He added that McIntyre took