Drew McIntyre may still be missing from WWE television, but he’s definitely not staying away from the ring. After admitting he misses wrestling following roughly five months away, the former WWE Champion has now posted fresh footage of himself running the ropes and putting in reps inside a wrestling ring.
McIntyre has been gone since WrestleMania 42 while handling several projects outside WWE. Ringside News previously covered how McIntyre’s WWE absence was tied to his growing Hollywood schedule, while his agent made it clear that WWE remained McIntyre’s priority despite the outside acting work.
Things started getting more interesting in August when McIntyre returned to the United States after wrapping up those commitments. There still weren’t any creative plans locked down for his comeback at the time, meaning being back on American soil didn’t automatically mean Drew was returning to WWE television.
During a Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp was then asked if there was any timetable for McIntyre’s return. Sapp revealed that he had recently seen Drew at a Pro Wrestling Symphony event in Nashville, where McIntyre admitted he misses wrestling and even wished he could have worked WWE’s recent South American tour.
“Well, I saw him like a few days ago. He quite literally pulled up in his pickup truck to the Nashville Pro Wrestling Symphony show that I wrestled on, and he said that he really missed wrestling and he really wished that he could have worked a South American tour. He said that he enjoyed those. He’s not really used to being off this long, but he’s been working on, like several movies since WrestleMania. It’s been been like five months that he’s been out now, but he’s still working out in the ring. He looks great, looks huge, talked about how a lot of the work that he’s been doing has been working on basically joint space in his body and stuff like that. But he didn’t give me a timetable or a return date or anything like that.”
Now McIntyre himself has provided some visual proof that the ring work is very real. On September 25, 2026, Drew took to Twitter and posted footage of himself running the ropes inside a wrestling ring, keeping the caption about as simple as possible.
“Reps.”
The short clip showed McIntyre repeatedly hitting the ropes as he continues getting his body ready for wrestling again. There was no WWE return announcement attached to the post, but it backs up Sapp’s claim that Drew has continued training in the ring during his extended absence.
This also isn’t the first time McIntyre’s workouts have sent fans into overdrive. He surfaced in the gym earlier this summer and immediately sparked comeback speculation, only for his agent to explain that Drew was still filming The Last Druid at the time.
The situation is a lot different now. McIntyre is back in the United States, he openly says he misses wrestling, he wanted to be part of WWE’s South American tour, and now he’s putting footage of himself running the ropes directly in front of fans.
There still isn’t a return date, but Drew McIntyre certainly looks like a man making sure he’ll be ready whenever WWE finally decides to pull the trigger. Five months away may have kept him off television, but judging by those reps, he hasn’t forgotten what it feels like to hit the ropes.
When do you think WWE should bring Drew McIntyre back, and who should be standing across the ring from him when he returns? Let us know what you think in the comments.
