LA Knight, Drew McIntyre Settle Backstage Heat After Royal Rumble 2025 Mishap (WWE News)
Any issues between LA Knight and Drew McIntyre have been dropped.
For those wondering if there are any lingering issues between WWE's Drew McIntyre and LA Knight following the Royal Rumble, it looks as if any beef between the two has been squashed.
In the immediate aftermath of this year's Royal Rumble, reports surfaced that McIntyre was extremely frustrated backstage following his elimination from the match by Damian Priest. It was noted how the Scottish Warrior was unhappy with how someone had to "get their stuff in", which in turn took away from a big moment between Drew and Priest; a moment that was intended to lead to a potential WrestleMania match for the pair.
Of course, in the days after the Royal Rumble, that "someone" was revealed to be LA Knight, with the Megastar battling Logan Paul as Priest eliminated McIntyre. Supposedly, there was a timing issue amongst all of this, as the Scot was meant to be eliminated before Paul entered the match, with Knight cited as the reason for the delay in Drew's elimination.
Since then, last week's SmackDown saw LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Uso in an Elimination Chamber qualifier match. Prior to that contest, Knight gave some heartfelt words about men's mental health, before labelling McIntyre a "crier" and dropping in a line about LA "getting [his] stuff in". Drew would win the match, but there were a few heavy-hitting interactions between McIntyre and Knight that had fans wondering whether there was any lingering beef between the two.
Drew McIntyre And LA Knight On SmackDown
As per Fightful Select, Drew McIntyre and LA Knight had no problems working together on that SmackDown, and while things did get rough between the two during the match, both talents came out of the bout fine and had no issues with each other. Likewise, there was no concern backstage, with most viewing this as an opportunity to play off those real-life frustrations.
Where LA Knight's SmackDown promo is concerned, Drew McIntyre had no issues with that. And as for Knight's words about men's mental health, they were serious and legitimate while also serving as a way to take a mild shot at Drew. On a wider note, one source told Fightful that it wasn't ideal that McIntyre's Royal Rumble frustrations were leaked to the public, but it was felt that both Drew and LA played off that situation perfectly on SmackDown.
As for what's next for the two, having now officially moved to SmackDown as part of the Transfer Window, Drew McIntyre has earned himself a spot in the men's Elimination Chamber match next month, while LA Knight is a little more in limbo right now. Knight has recently tangled with Shinsuke Nakamura and then the Bloodline, and it remains to be seen what lies in the hugely charismatic star's future when WrestleMania rolls around.
On a side note, Drew McIntyre and LA Knight have quite the unique history together, with the pair - as Drew Galloway and Eli Drake - forming the Rising faction in TNA with Micah/Tonga Loa back in 2015. That group would only be together for a couple of months, and Drake would eventually turn heel on Galloway as the two feuded throughout the second half of the year.