Drew McIntyre Exposes Real-Life Tension Behind His Feud With CM Punk

Drew McIntyre isn’t holding back when it comes to his war with CM Punk. Speaking with Alex McCarthy of DailyMail, McIntyre broke down his 2024 rivalry with Punk, making it clear that it wasn’t just another storyline—it was personal.

“I didn’t really anticipate anything in the beginning, I was dealing with my personal feelings towards him, understanding why he was brought in. It’s a numbers thing. He sells a lot of T-shirts. And after the injury, I was going to exploit it,”

McIntyre admitted. He also found it interesting that Punk didn’t list him as a dream opponent. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, weird. It’s almost as if there’s a guy that was around him all this time when he was a terrible person who might have stories.’”

McIntyre praised Triple H and WWE’s creative team for giving him the platform to unleash his frustrations. “With the Punk process, having so much real feeling, so much material, and not just my ideas… obviously creative are just absolutely on fire, and with Hunter [Triple H] leading the charges, setting these awesome shots up for me, all I have to do is put it in the back of the net.”

For McIntyre, this wasn’t just a feud—it was cathartic. “It was an interesting and fun process, and it’s better than any therapy in the world. I don’t need a therapist to talk to, I’ve got a microphone every week.” He admitted he was sounding out a lot of feelings during their verbal battles, using TV as his outlet.

Despite their real-life friction, McIntyre acknowledged that their chemistry was undeniable. “As much as we have certain feelings towards each other, we both are aware we’ve got certain magic with each other. It’s a tale as old as time. The more people have a genuine disdain for each other, people can truly feel it. And if you’re actually good at your job, like we are, it does create magic. And the whole process was magic, and the cell itself was a match that we talked about forever.”

McIntyre made it clear he went all in against Punk, especially on social media, and respected that Punk didn’t flinch. “I didn’t hold back. On TV, I can only go so far, but, on social, but it’s my social. You can’t tell me what to do. I went overboard. And the company could have asked me to pull back if they wanted me to, and I’d have said, ‘No, it’s my social’. But I went at him and went at him. And I’ve done that with a couple of people, and they have got a boo boo face. Not that I care, but he didn’t. He ate it like a man, and then came back with what he had to say. So I’ll give him that.”

McIntyre and Punk’s rivalry was one of the most heated in recent WWE history, and it’s clear there was real emotion behind every promo and punch. Drew McIntyre didn’t just cut promos—he made it personal, and he has no regrets. Whether it was on TV or social media, he went after CM Punk with everything he had, and to his surprise, Punk took it like a pro. With that kind of real tension fueling their feud, it’s no wonder their matches felt like a fight instead of just another storyline.