With Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada seemingly leaving free agency and heading to AEW, the next big wrestler to hit the open market is believed to be Drew McIntyre. The former WWE Champion’s contract with WWE is believed to be up following WrestleMania this April, though WWE has been hopeful to lock him up before that time. And a new ad for WWE’s European tour suggests that could be the case.
Early Tuesday morning, WWE sent out a press release announcing an upcoming show in Bologna, Italy on May 1, with tickets set to go on sale this Friday. McIntyre was both featured in the advertising and announced as appearing on the show, despite his rumored contractual status.
While the advertisement of McIntyre in May could be a sign he has re-signed with, it would not be the first time the promotion has advertised a wrestler for a show after their deal expired. WWE had previously done so with Dean Ambrose back in 2019, advertising him for their European tour in May, despite having previously announced he would be leaving the promotion in April when his contract expired. WWE would eventually remove him from advertising, and Ambrose would depart, leading to his current run in AEW as Jon Moxley.
Regardless of McIntyre’s future this spring, he still has plenty on his plate now, including a match on “Raw” next week against Cody Rhodes. McIntyre is also a heavy favorite to win the Men’s Elimination Chamber at WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia on February 24, with the winner getting a WWE World Heavyweight Championship shot at WrestleMania 40.