Where On Earth Is Drew McIntyre?

It has been four months since Drew McIntyre was last seen on WWE programming, his final match before a hiatus coming at WrestleMania 42 where he lost to Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned match. Prior to that, McIntyre was involved in the WWE Championship scene, reigning for a brief time with the gold before dropping the prize to Cody Rhodes on the road to WrestleMania. We have now passed through SummerSlam season without any sign of mention of McIntyre – so where exactly is he? Many of WWE’s fans will be wondering where McIntyre is and when we will see him again.

Drew McIntyre Is Working On Outside Projects Away From WWE

• McIntyre has scored movie roles in recent years.
• He is involved in blockbuster Hollywood movies outside of WWE.
• McIntyre’s schedule has led to time off from competing in a WWE ring.

Professional wrestlers crossing over into Hollywood is certainly not a new thing, with over the years the likes of Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, The Rock, and others embarking on a career path outside of the ring. On the current WWE roster, several wrestlers have opened the door to the movie industry, with names such as Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and others taking time off here and there to film for movies. Drew McIntyre is another who has made some big strides in the movie industry.

McIntyre’s schedule filming for movies is why he’s been absent from WWE programming, with him focusing on outside projects throughout the summer months. His most notable roles have come in the form of him completing filming for the Highlander reboot, in which McIntyre plays the role of Angus MacLeod, the brother of Connor MacLeod, played by Henry Cavill. Additionally, McIntyre was also filming for The Last Druid in Spain alongside big stars such as Russel Crowe. PWInsider also noted recently that the likes of Joe Hendry missed TV due to filming WWE’s series of live action microdramas, which McIntyre has also been a part of.

Drew McIntyre’s 2026 Has Been Up & Down

• McIntyre began 2026 winning the WWE Championship.
• He missed out on a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 42.
• McIntyre’s booking has been inconsistent in WWE for a while.

Drew McIntyre’s WWE absence came at the right time. At the start of the year, McIntyre completed his long path to reclaiming a world title, beating Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship in what looked to be a promising upturn in his fortunes… only to drop the gold back to Rhodes on the road to WrestleMania 42 in what ultimately a pretty pointless run with the belt. Fans expected him to at least get involved in the title match at WrestleMania in a multi-man clash , only for WWE to take this spot away from him.

Instead, McIntyre faced Jacob Fatu in a fun match while Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton stunk up the building with an awful main event at WrestleMania 42 Saturday. McIntyre’s up and down booking followed a lengthy spell outside of the main event scene and losing in major matches, with WWE seemingly falling out of favor with him. In 2024, McIntyre was arguably WWE’s best heel, only for Triple H and WWE’s creative team to drop the ball on his momentum.

When Will Drew McIntyre Return From Hiatus?

• Reports suggest WWE has no plans for a McIntyre return.
• RAW & SmackDown both have busy main event scenes.
• McIntyre needs a refresh upon returning to WWE.

The question of when Drew McIntyre will return is one on the minds of many, but don’t expect to see him any time soon. A new report from PWInsider has remarked that while McIntyre is back in the United States, there are currently no talks of a return for the former world champion from within WWE. McIntyre is a main event level talent, but with his brand SmackDown busy with the likes of CM Punk, Gunther, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, there isn’t much room for him.

Monday Night RAW might be a better place to return, with the top talents consisting of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, and LA Knight, though it still isn’t clear how he’d fit in from a creative standpoint. McIntyre has become somewhat stale in terms of character, so a hiatus and refresh has been for the best before his eventual return.