Drew McIntyre Claps Back: Breaking Down His Fiery Response to CM Punk and Roman Reigns
Drew McIntyre Responds After CM Punk & Roman Reigns Bury Him on Raw
In the latest chapter of WWE’s ongoing love affair with “reality-based” storytelling, Drew McIntyre has fired back at CM Punk and Roman Reigns after the two buried him in a scorching Raw show-closing promo meant to sell their WrestleMania 42 main event. His response isn’t just another wrestling soundbite — it’s a window into how modern WWE leans on real frustrations, online narratives, and long memories to fuel its biggest matches.
Speaking with Cageside Seats, McIntyre shot back at Punk and Reigns while explaining exactly what rubbed him the wrong way about their segment, offering a blend of in-character fire and very real irritation at how he was framed.
Setting the Stage: Punk, Reigns, and a Raw Promo That Hit Nerve Endings
Raw’s closing segment featured World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns going face-to-face to hype their WrestleMania 42 main event — a dream match stacked with a decade of baggage. As part of that “piece of business,” both men zeroed in on Drew McIntyre as a convenient measuring stick: the guy who couldn’t quite get the job done when it mattered most.
That framing taps into a familiar narrative for McIntyre. He was once Vince McMahon’s “Chosen One,” got released, rebuilt himself on the independents and in WWE programming as a serious main-event player, then finally won the WWE Championship — during the fanless pandemic era. Ever since, his story has been tinged with “almost but not quite,” especially when compared with the aura-heavy title reigns of Reigns and now Punk’s world title run.
So when Punk and Reigns mocked him as the guy forever looking up at them from just below the mountaintop, it cut close to the bone — both in storyline and in how online fans already talk about McIntyre’s career.
What Punk and Reigns Said: The Art of the “Burial” Promo
Within WWE lingo and fan discourse, a “burial” promo is when someone is undercut so harshly on the mic that it feels like their credibility takes real damage, not just storyline heat. Punk and Reigns danced right on that line.
- They framed Drew as the guy who shines when stakes are low but wilts in the real main-event spotlight.
- They invoked his pandemic title reign as something that “doesn’t count” compared to stadium-level dominance.
- They positioned him as a plot device in their story — a shared casualty of two bigger, more important careers.
The subtext: Drew may be good, but Punk and Reigns are operating on a different plane, and history will remember it that way.
“They want you to think I’m the guy who couldn’t finish the job. But they never tell you why I was even in that spot to begin with.”
That kind of rhetoric is effective because it mirrors real fan debates. WWE’s current storytelling philosophy, especially in the Triple H-led era, often weaponizes social media talking points and long-term fan memory to make promos feel “real.” The risk is that sometimes those digs don’t just hurt the character — they risk souring fans on the performer.
Drew McIntyre’s Response: Between Character and Candid Frustration
In his comments to Cageside Seats, McIntyre walked the very modern wrestling tightrope: stay in character enough to fuel the angle, but honest enough that fans feel they’re getting a peek behind the curtain.
“I’ve carried this place when there was nothing but cameras and silence, and now suddenly I’m the example of what not to be? That’s the part that bothered me.”
The most telling part of his reaction was what he said frustrated him the most: not just the insults themselves, but the implication that his biggest accomplishments were somehow lesser or forgettable. From a character standpoint, that fuels a compelling chip-on-the-shoulder arc. From a human standpoint, it’s easy to see why it would rankle.
McIntyre essentially pushed back on being treated like a footnote in the Punk–Reigns saga, reminding people that without his anchor role during the empty-arena era, there might not have been a stable enough platform for others to launch from once crowds returned.
Kayfabe vs. Reality: Why This Angle Resonates With Fans
The intrigue here isn’t just what was said, but how closely it maps onto real-world perception. McIntyre’s arc has lived at the intersection of “critically respected” and “perpetually unlucky.”
- Timing curses: His crowning WrestleMania moment happened with no live crowd, then subsequent shots were derailed by red-hot acts like Reigns and now Punk.
- Perception gap: Within wrestling media and hardcore fan circles, McIntyre is often praised as a dependable main-event anchor — but casual narratives tend to focus on who he lost to, not what he carried.
- Character evolution: His current persona, a more jaded and self-aware veteran, meshes neatly with this angle of being overshadowed and undercredited.
By having Punk and Reigns essentially echo the more dismissive corners of wrestling Twitter, WWE is turning that perception into story fuel. McIntyre’s rebuttal, in a sense, is him arguing not just with them, but with the audience’s collective memory.
Industry Insight: The Business Logic Behind Burying a Top Guy
From a purely business and creative standpoint, there’s a cynical but understandable reason McIntyre became the punching bag in that Raw segment: great main events are built by establishing levels — even among stars.
- Hierarchy building: By hammering home that Punk and Reigns exist on their own “final boss” tier, WWE reinforces the idea that their WrestleMania clash is special, even in an era where big matches are more common.
- Collateral elevation: If McIntyre can weather this burial, respond with fire, and then back it up on TV, the narrative can flip into “you can’t keep him down,” which is potent babyface fuel if WWE wants to pivot him that way.
- Merch and metrics: Punk and Reigns consistently sit near the top of merchandise and digital engagement charts. Building a gravitas-heavy segment around them — even at someone else’s expense — is an easy play from a metrics point of view.
The risk is overplaying the burial to the point where fans buy the idea that McIntyre is permanently “less than.” His pointed, articulate response helps counter that by reframing him as someone who sees the game being played and refuses to quietly accept his place.
Strengths and Weaknesses of This Story Beat
Evaluated as a storyline moment headed into WrestleMania 42, McIntyre’s response to Punk and Reigns comes with clear pros and cons.
What’s Working
- Emotional authenticity: McIntyre sounds genuinely annoyed, not just scripted — which sells the angle as more than another week-to-week insult exchange.
- Continuity-rich: The promo and his reply draw on real history: pandemic title runs, long-term positioning, and fan discourse, rewarding viewers who have followed his journey.
- Character clarity: It sharpens his current role as the guy who has earned everything the hard way and is tired of being talked down to by self-anointed “biggest stars.”
Potential Pitfalls
- Over-burial risk: If future episodes double down on the idea that Drew’s peak “doesn’t count,” some fans may internalize that as truth rather than storyline spin.
- Spotlight imbalance: With so much focus on Punk vs. Reigns, there’s a danger that McIntyre becomes a narrative prop instead of a parallel threat.
- Follow-through pressure: This only pays off if there’s a tangible in-ring or storyline payoff for Drew — a marquee match, a statement win, or a major character pivot.
Cultural Significance: WWE’s Ongoing Love Affair With Meta Storytelling
This whole exchange sits firmly in a trend WWE has leaned into for over a decade: promos that sound like they were ripped from Reddit threads and group chats. From Punk’s 2011 “pipe bomb” to The Miz snapping on Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack, some of the most enduring modern moments in wrestling blend genuine resentment with scripted framing.
McIntyre’s response fits that lineage. He’s not just a character upset about a fictional slight; he’s a veteran performer aware that legacy, perception, and internet narratives matter almost as much as win–loss records. In a media environment where fans track Cagematch ratings and social clips as closely as TV results, these promo battles become part of the historical record.
Watch the Build: Where to Catch the Promo and Follow the Story
For anyone who wants to see the full context of this exchange and McIntyre’s response, start with the Raw main-event promo segment featuring CM Punk and Roman Reigns from the go-home stretch to WrestleMania 42. WWE typically posts key moments to its official channels.
- WWE’s official YouTube channel – often uploads condensed versions of main-event promos.
- WWE.com Video Hub – for longer cuts and context packages.
- Peacock’s WWE hub – for full Raw episodes and the WrestleMania 42 event.
- Cageside Seats coverage – for McIntyre’s full comments and ongoing analysis.
If WWE leans into this tension, don’t be surprised to see McIntyre’s story woven into video packages and commentary beats all the way through WrestleMania, even if he isn’t in the final main-event graphic.
Final Thoughts: A Vital Role in WWE’s WrestleMania 42 Ecosystem
Drew McIntyre’s response to being buried by CM Punk and Roman Reigns is more than just a defensive promo; it’s a reminder that in modern WWE, legacy is constantly up for negotiation. Punk and Reigns are being framed as era-defining champions, but their greatness is, in part, defined by who they step on along the way — and McIntyre is refusing to be just another flattened name on the resume.
Heading into WrestleMania 42, the most interesting question isn’t just who walks out with which belt, but where someone like McIntyre lands in the post-Mania pecking order. If WWE plays this right, his mix of justified bitterness and undeniable resume could set him up for a renewed run as either the brand’s moral spine or its most dangerous loose cannon.
Either way, his clapback ensures one thing: fans will be talking about more than just Punk vs. Reigns when they look back on this era — they’ll remember the guy who refused to let history be written without his say.
