Following his victory over Jey Uso to kick off tonight’s WWE Raw, Drew McIntyre will replace Uso as the number-one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Seth Rollins. General Manager Adam Pearce appeared backstage during the broadcast alongside McIntyre, with CM Punk approaching and sharing some words with the Scotsman. McIntyre made it clear that he’s only interested in looking out for himself before storming off, leaving Pearce to inform Rollins (and the audience) that McIntyre will challenge Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on a special “Day 1” edition of Raw on January 1, 2024.
Day 1 was introduced as a WWE PLE back in 2022, taking place on January 1. The 2023 edition of the event was canceled, but Day 1 will return as a special edition of Raw next month to open up 2024.
Several weeks ago, Rollins told McIntyre that he’d promised Uso a shot at the title, infuriating the former WWE Champion. McIntyre had previously challenged Rollins for the title at WWE Crown Jewel in November. Since then, though, McIntyre has undergone a major shift in attitude, possibly giving him an extra edge against Rollins the next time around. McIntyre interrupted Uso in the opening minutes of tonight’s Raw to begin their match, and McIntyre defeated Uso with the use of some dirty tricks to give himself an advantage.
Though it was prior to the announcement regarding McIntyre, Rollins did appear on tonight’s Raw, making his way to the ring to confront Punk after the veteran announced his decision to sign with Raw. Rollins and Punk shared a very heated exchange, with Punk eventually revealing that he intends to enter the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble to win an opportunity at the title Rollins holds. Before that happens, however, Rollins will have McIntyre to worry about.