Drew McIntyre has been removed from the Fanatics Fest NYC talent lineup, with his growing film schedule cited as the reason for the cancellation.
The Scottish star is listed among the names no longer attending the event on the official Fanatics Fest site, joining Bianca Belair, Freddie Freeman, Deebo Samuel, and Chet Holmgren. Fanatics Fest NYC runs July 16 through 19 at the Javits Center, the same weekend as the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
McIntyre has not appeared on WWE television since losing to Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned Match on Night One of WrestleMania 42. That absence has been tied to his film work, beginning with the Highlander reboot in Scotland, in which he plays Angus MacLeod, brother to Henry Cavill’s Connor MacLeod.
His latest project is the reason he is off the Fanatics Fest schedule. Deadline reported on June 15 that McIntyre joined Russell Crowe’s action film The Last Druid, which is already shooting in Spain. The cast includes Stacy Clausen, Spanish actor Pablo Derqui, and Crowe’s son Tennyson Crowe. It marks McIntyre’s second consecutive project alongside Crowe after Highlander, and his third sizeable film role.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that fans should not expect McIntyre back in a WWE ring anytime soon. Online speculation had pointed to a SummerSlam return on August 1 and 2, but Johnson described those reports as completely inaccurate, noting there is nothing currently on the table for McIntyre creatively while he circles several Hollywood projects.
McIntyre is a three-time WWE Champion who won the title from Cody Rhodes in January before dropping it back in March. His WrestleMania 42 loss to Fatu sent the Samoan Werewolf into a World Heavyweight Title program with Roman Reigns.