This past week at Money In The Bank 2024, Drew McIntyre was pushed to his breaking point by CM Punk’s actions. For the third time, Punk cost McIntyre his chance at winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
This caused McIntyre to lose his temper and involuntary elbow Adam Pearce, leading to his suspension.
It is unknown how long McIntyre is suspended, but we can expect havoc to break loose once he returns and Punk is cleared to compete. But the question on everyone’s mind is, when will we finally get to see this match?
The feud between these two has been ongoing since the Royal Rumble 2024 in January. Timing is everything for such a highly anticipated and personal match.
Let’s explore some of the possibilities for this match.
CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre – When and Where?
Once both competitors can compete, when would be the best time for this match?
SummerSlam is the next big premium live event of the year, on August 3rd. It is unknown if Punk will be cleared to compete by then.
Although it would be fitting for this match to take place at WWE’s second-largest pay-per-view event, considering the anticipation. While the SummerSlam would be appropriate, it is so soon, being less than a month away.
It would be strategic to continue building the story for a few weeks after Punk is cleared before they officially meet in the ring for a match. They could set up a way to figure out a stipulation.
For example, whoever wins their match that night gets to choose the stipulation. Another week, there could be a contract signing to help build suspense.
Whether the match occurs at SummerSlam this year or not, Bad Blood occurs on October 5th. Considering the two’s history, having a match at Bad Blood would make sense and give them more time to build the story after Punk is cleared and McIntyre’s suspension is up.
WrestleMania?
Is this feud personal enough to be dragged out to WrestleMania? So far, it seems to be but, with WrestleMania 41 being about ten months away, how much more personal can it get?
Punk has already cost McIntyre numerous championship opportunities, and they have already involved each other’s families. We also must remember the original plans for WrestleMania 40 before Punk got injured; Punk was set to go against Seth Rollins.
Considering how long there is before WrestleMania 41, it is enough time to give McIntyre and Punk a proper storyline. They could even have a few matches against one another.
The matches are large enough to occur at SummerSlam, Bad Blood, and Survivor Series. This feud could lead to one between Punk and Rollins going into WrestleMania 41.
Stipulation
The rivalry between Punk and McIntyre rose to a level so personal that it is hard to imagine a match between them taking place without a stipulation. There are a million possibilities for stipulations, but let’s explore what would be most exciting for the audience and fitting for their story.
A falls count anywhere match between the two would be explosive. They’ve already fought all over the arena; they must turn it into a match.
Opening the match up to the entire stadium gives endless possibilities of what can be done. Undoubtedly, they would push limits and create a phenomenal match as they wreak havoc across the stadium.
If they want to find out who is truly on top between the two, a two out of three falls match could take place. However, in these matches, one can win by disqualification.
It would be exciting and new if they made the two out of three falls a no-disqualification or added another stipulation, such as making it a steel cage match. It would be entertaining to see them bring back the ambulance match to end the feud and give it a final close.
The last ambulance match in WWE was between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt on Raw in May 2015, nearly ten years ago. It will not only give the story a final close, sending the loser off in an ambulance, but it will also be something different for the fans.
No matter how this feud ends, it is hard to imagine that there will be no bad blood between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk afterward. We will likely see them go against each other again.
