Drew McIntyre is injured and not cleared to compete on Raw (Picture: WWE)
WWE superstar Drew McIntyre has been pulled from the King of the Ring tournament less than two and a half hours before Monday Night Raw.
Tonight’s show is fast approaching with WWE announcing a raft of King and Queen of the Ring first round matches for the three hour broadcast, but the Scottish Warrior will not be included.
He had been due to take on Judgment Day star Finn Balor in an opening round bout, but Raw General Manager Adam Pearce has confirmed he has been removed from the field due to injury.
‘A bit of unfortunate breaking news as Drew McIntyre is not medically unable to compete tonight,’ he said in a video shared on X.
‘That’s right, Drew McIntyre medically disqualified from competitive tonight here in Hartford, as a result will be pulled from the King of the Ring tournament.’
‘More news as it becomes available,’ he promised, and added: ‘Unfortunately, that’s official.’
McIntyre will no longer be part of the King of the Ring tournament (Picture: WWE)
It has not been revealed who will replace McIntyre against Balor, while three other matches have already been announced for the King of the Ring opening round.
Two of McIntyre’s former rivals will collide as GUNTHER takes on Sheamus in what is sure to be a hard hitting rematch of their 2022 Clash At The Castle contest, while legends Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio will face off.
In a first time bout, high flying Ricochet battles the intense Ilja Dragunov in his Raw debut as a full time member of the roster, shortly after his appearance on the Raw after WrestleMania last month.
McIntyre has been involved in a bitter rivalry with CM Punk but both men are injured (Picture: WWE)
McIntyre’s rival CM Punk is expected to be at the show, but his role is yet to be confirmed, and it’s unclear if the former will still appear despite his injury.
Elsewhere, the Queen of the Ring tournament kicks off, and WWE has already revealed the opening round matches on the Raw side of things, with reigning queen Zelina Vega starting her defence against Shayna Baszler.
Shayna’s tag partner Zoey Stark will face off against Ivy Nile, while former NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria has been pitted against Asuka, and Iyo Sky will take on Natalya.
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 1am on TNT Sports 1. The King and Queen of the Ring finals will air on May 25 via the WWE Network.
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