Real reason why Drew McIntyre was written off TV by WWE - Reports

Following the Day 1 event, WWE announced that Drew McIntyre had suffered a cervical neck strain with severe contusions.

McIntyre defeated Happy Corbin's ally, Madcap Moss, in a singles match at the said show. Later that night, Corbin and Moss launched a backstage assault on the two-time WWE Champion. The company then tweeted out the following storyline update:

INJURY UPDATE: @DMcIntyreWWE suffered a cervical neck strain with severe contusions.

Upon further evaluation by medical staff he will have a follow-up with an orthopedic cervical specialist. pic.twitter.com/5Bju1faAW8

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2022

As per Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Drew McIntyre has been dealing with legitimate neck issues for at least several weeks:

"The word backstage is that the angle was brought about by some legitimate neck issues McIntyre has been dealing with of late (at least several weeks), necessitating him needing to undergo medical testing. So, WWE wrote him out of storylines with the attack to be proactive about the situation."

While there is no concrete timeframe on how long The Scottish Warrior will remain out of action, people within the company reportedly hope that it turns out to be a short-term in-ring hiatus.

Drew McIntyre's efforts have not gone unnoticed backstage in WWE

Drew McIntyre proves that hard work and going to find yourself and coming back to conquer is what it’s all about!!

— Vinny At The Movies (@vin_moviesPW) January 27, 2020

It's no secret that McIntyre has been one of the company's top faces since early 2020. WWE booked him in such a prominent spot — for the most part — due to the hard work he has put in over the years.

Despite his neck issues, The Scottish Warrior has frequently worked throughout the promotion's recent live tour. Mike Johnson also stated the following in PWInsider's report:

"There were quite a few people over the course of the night who pointed out how insanely hard McIntyre has been going in recent weeks despite the neck issues, including him working multiple times a night over the recent live event tour that saw him doing tag matches against the Usos and then doing pretty stiff Street Fights against Sheamus. One person noted that McIntyre "went down swinging" to injury for the company."

Additionally, Drew McIntyre was spotted wearing a neck brace as he left from the recently-concluded Day 1 event.