Why WWE's CM Punk Calling Himself A 'Professional Wrestler' Pisses Drew McIntyre Off

The war of words between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre has been almost as hard-hitting as their in-ring battle at WWE SummerSlam — if not more so. McIntyre has driven home his hatred of CM Punk via social media and interviews, and he continued his verbal war on "The Ringer Wrestling Show," where he said there's one thing about the "Second City Saint" that drives him insane since Punk's return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames last year.

"The thing that drives me most crazy is that he goes around masquerading, calling himself a professional wrestler. That actually pisses me off, to be honest," McIntyre said. "Punk took nine years off ... He went away. He's been living on the Pipe Bomb, living on the feud with Cena, he's smart and maximized and became a big star. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. He's been gone for all this time. This legend has been created. He's no longer a professional wrestler. He's an attraction. There is nothing wrong with being an attraction, we need attractions, but don't f***ing say you're a professional wrestler if you're not a professional wrestler. I'm a professional wrestler."

McIntyre went off on Punk throughout the interview, saying Punk quit the company while McIntyre and the rest of the roster "worked their a**** off 52 weeks a year." McIntyre contrasted Punk quitting to his own firing from WWE in 2014, saying he went on to "reinvent" himself to be able to "come back and reach the top of the WWE mountain."

Though not yet official as of this writing, Punk and McIntyre will likely go head-to-head once again at Bash in Berlin, with a possible stipulation added to the match.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Ringer Wrestling Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.