Whew, I have words about this week’s main event angle. Walk with me a bit.
Let’s start at the beginning like most stories do. Drew McIntyre addressed the crowd with the spotlight on him and everything else blacked out. Great presentation for the big man and I loved his explanation. No, he’s not in Judgment Day, but yes he’s on their War Games team. And anyone questioning why he did what he did, they’re clearly not paying attention. No argument with that last point. Drew never lied; he dislikes Jey Uso and figured he at least gave Jey the respect the Bloodline never afforded him with a face-to-face attack.
I especially dug Drew talking about his family and what Clash at the Castle meant to them. He missed out on birthdays, Christmases, and other important dates over 16 years. Winning that championship in front of them at that event validates all of that sacrifice. But Jey and his family robbed that moment from Drew.
I get it. How would anyone just get over something like that? It goes beyond not getting the WrestleMania he wanted, which definitely came off as whiny when put in context of a global pandemic. But everyone relates to family, especially this time of year. While it didn’t make the crowd forgive and forget, it made complete sense. He even rationalized tangentially screwing Cody Rhodes, citing the fact that Cody brought Jey to Raw, so he too deserved what he got.
The more Drew talked, the angrier he got. And more anger meant he wanted Jey not now but right now. Jey answered the call but the Judgment Day impeded his progress. That led to a big standoff with both teams that Adam Pearce came between. I love stressed out and overworked Adam. Next to Sgt. Slaughter and Gorilla Monsoon, he’s my favorite WWE authority figure. Well, this version anyway. He’s always at his wits end and tired of playing principal for a bunch of immature adults. Principal Pearce informed the teams that the match for the War Games advantage is the main event and they need to pick representatives. He also told Cody’s team to pick a fifth person by the time the clock strikes 11.
That intrigue carried the show’s first few minutes. After some continued simmering drama between Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, the Judgment Day picked Drew. Naturally, Cody and Co. picked Jey. Both men want each other and, according to Drew, the only reason he accepted Rhea’s offer is because she promised him Jey in a cage. So, our main event featured two guys who hate each other and who seemingly fought every bone in their bodies to not hit each other during the show’s first segment.
Then the match started and it felt no different than a normal WWE match. All that rage Drew felt towards Jey and the distaste Jey feels toward Drew? Yeah, they opened the match with a feeling out process. For the entire match actually, it felt like two guys just wrestling each other because they have to and not because they want to kill one another.
Now, before anyone jumps the gun, I’m not asking for a death match or anything wild by WWE standards; I just want actions that match with words. Drew waited months for this one moment; he should unleash all of that on Jey rather than looking calm, cool, and collected. And if the match can’t convey that because Drew gets Jey in a cage at War Games, then put two other people in the match