Slight Change to Drew McIntyre's WWE Status

By Liam Crowley

WWE SmackDown has been without one of its top stars for nearly one month now. Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre suffered a ruptured eardrum at November's WWE Survivor Series, sustaining the injury during the multi-man War Games main event match. While expected to be just a minor setback, this injury forced McIntyre to pull out of the first WWE SmackDown of December, a television taping that was originally scheduled to see him and Sheamus challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos for their titles. Initial reports stated that the Scottish Warrior would not be cleared to compete at that show, which took place just six days after WWE Survivor Series, but was expected to return to action by the end of the month.

That expected return date was December 26th, as McIntyre was advertised for a big eight-man tag match at WWE's upcoming Madison Square Garden live event. The original match for next Monday was McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, and Sheamus taking on The Usos, Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa.

According to recent advertisements, that bout has been whittled down to just Strowman and Owens competing against The Usos. Besides the MSG live event, McIntyre is not expected to appear at any of next week's WWE house shows, meaning he will miss the entire holiday tour.

McIntyre is not the only member of the WWE SmackDown roster suffering from a ruptured eardrum. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has also been out of action with the same injury. That said, Reigns is scheduled to team with Zayn on the December 30th edition of WWE SmackDown to take on the duo of Owens and the returning John Cena, which all but confirms that he has been cleared for competition.

It's unknown how McIntyre's injury will affect his plans come the new year. Since being defeated by Reigns at WWE Clash at the Castle, McIntyre has been involved in feuds with both Karrion Kross and The Bloodline. As of this writing, he has no clear path to WWE WrestleMania 39, as the rumor mill has been quiet regarding potential opponents for the big man at the Showcase of the Immortals. He has been rubbing shoulders with Sheamus and The Brawling Brutes as of late, which could mean that four-man group is due for a multi-man contest come April.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Drew McIntyre's WWE status.

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