WWE Backstage Buzz: Did Drew McIntyre Get Sidelined Over the Highlander Reboot With Henry Cavill?

WWE did the thing where real life and storyline kiss on live TV. During SmackDown on Nov. 7 in Greenville, South Carolina, Drew McIntyre snapped in the main event and got himself suspended on the spot. And while that looked like pure wrestling chaos, there is a very Hollywood reason it probably happened when it did.

What actually went down on SmackDown

Main event: Cody Rhodes vs. Aleister Black. Stakes high, crowd hot. Then Drew McIntyre stormed in, went after the referee, and blew the whole thing up. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis was done with him and announced an immediate suspension. On TV, the idea is that Drew was still raging after a loss at Saturday Night's Main Event, and this was him boiling over. As an angle, it played big. As timing, it was suspiciously tidy.

Why the timing makes sense: Highlander

Per a report from Deadline, McIntyre has officially joined the cast of the Highlander reboot at Amazon MGM. He is playing Angus McLeod, the brother of the protagonist, Connor McLeod, who is being played by Henry Cavill. Quick note for clarity: the 1986 original starred Christopher Lambert as Connor; Angus is the brother character in this new take.

The rest of the cast is stacked: Max Zhang, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Crowe, and former WWE star Dave Bautista are all on board. McIntyre just made his big-screen debut in 2024 with the action movie Killer's Game, which went over well enough that this feels like a logical next step.

Production on Highlander was supposed to get rolling earlier this month, but it paused after Cavill was injured during training. The current expectation is a new start in early 2026. Translation: even with cameras delayed, there is pre-production, choreography, and sword work to prep for. A storyline suspension clears McIntyre to go do exactly that without constantly hopping back to TV.

The recent Drew pattern (and why WWE could sell this either way)

Even without the movie, WWE had ammo to bench him in kayfabe. McIntyre has been at Cody Rhodes' throat for weeks. He has also been skating on thin ice with some very not-subtle behavior around the title scene.

'San Jose, it appears your boy bleeding gums Fatu is no brave. All gas, no brakes. The referee, do me a favor and raise the hand of the new number one contender.'

That line came after the Oct. 17 SmackDown, where McIntyre was set to face Jacob Fatu in a No. 1 contender's match. Fatu was taken out backstage before the bell. No one was officially blamed, but the finger-pointing was immediate, and Drew did nothing to quiet it. Combine that with him wrecking the ref in Greenville and you have a tidy justification for an on-screen suspension, movie or no movie.

• Oct. 17, 2025: McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu planned for a WWE title No. 1 contender's match; Fatu is attacked backstage and pulled. McIntyre gloats on the mic.
• Late Oct. 2025: McIntyre loses at Saturday Night's Main Event, the frustration point WWE leaned on in the story.
• Nov. 7, 2025: McIntyre crashes Rhodes vs. Black, assaults the official; GM Nick Aldis suspends him immediately on SmackDown.
• Meanwhile: Deadline reports McIntyre has joined Amazon MGM's Highlander reboot as Angus McLeod alongside Henry Cavill and a loaded cast.
• Production note: Filming paused after Cavill was injured in training; the current target is early 2026, with pre-production and training ramping up now.

So what now?

WWE has not said how long McIntyre is out. If the Highlander schedule holds, expect him to lay low while he trains up, then return when it is time to heat him back up opposite Rhodes again. The company already has the fuse lit there. For now, the suspension plays as a consequence on TV and a calendar clean-up off it. Efficient, if nothing else.