Drew McIntyre withdraws from WWE's King of the Ring Tournament replacement announced

WWE's King and Queen of the Ring competitions are due to begin tonight on Raw, but the initial plans have changed. Drew McIntyre was scheduled to fight Finn Balor of The Judgement Day, but that has changed, according to Raw general manager Adam Pearce. 

Drew McIntyre has been dealing with an elbow issue for several weeks after worsening it, yet he continues to work live events in the United Kingdom while disabled. He had it padded up for his bouts against Jey Uso, but it looks to be the reason he is out of the tournament. "Drew McIntyre is not medically able to compete tonight," Pearce stated in a video shared on WWE's social media. "That's correct, Drew McIntyre was medically prohibited from competing tonight in Hartford. As a result, they will be removed from the King of the Ring event." 

Following his selection in the third round of the WWE Draft on night two, McIntyre expressed his sentiments live on air regarding Punk, who was waiting in the rafters for him. McIntyre proceeded to locate him, but when he arrived, CM Punk was gone, having returned to the ring. During this discussion, McIntyre discussed his injuries and how, despite it, he continued to show up to work and compete, unlike Punk. McIntyre recently inked a new contract with the business after it was revealed that his previous one was up shortly after WrestleMania 40. The Rock announced the news on social media with a video featuring "The Scottish Warrior" wielding a sword. 

Jey Uso will replace Drew McIntyre

The King and Queen of the Ring finals will be held in Saudi Arabia on May 25. The first-round qualifying matchups for the Queen of the Ring are Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile, Shayna Bazsler vs. Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka, and Iyo Sky vs. Natalya. The King of the Ring qualifying matchups include Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio, Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov, and Gunther vs. Sheamus. McIntyre's replacement is yet unclear. 

According to Fightful Select's Corey Brennan, Jey Uso will replace McIntyre in tonight's first-round battle against Finn Balor. At WWE Backlash, Uso contested for the World Heavyweight Championship against Damian Priest but lost.