Roman Reigns and The Bloodline laid out Drew McIntyre (Picture: WWE)

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre will be feeling the effects of SmackDownthis morning after suffering a brutal beatdown at the hands of The Bloodline.

The Scottish Superstar – who will face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at Clash At The Castle on September 3 – beat Sami Zayn in the main event on Friday night but found himself being attacked by the Tribal Chief, the Master Strategist and The Usos.

Despite a spirited attempt at a comeback, McIntyre fell to the numbers game and got attacked with steel chairs and the ring steps as the quartet were relentless.

The show ended with the challenger laid out and The Bloodline – including the Honorary Uce Sami – standing over him in a real display of dominance.

Shortly after the show ended, WWE tweeted a photo of McIntyre’s body as a result of the attack, and it’s a reminder for anyone who throws the word ‘fake’ around about wrestling as a whole.

Simply captioned ‘The aftermath’, one picture shows the towering star’s back totally covered in nasty cuts and welts, while another shows a horrific bruise on his right shoulder.

The aftermath. @DMcIntyreWWE #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/AdsMZgJBZT

— WWE (@WWE) August 27, 2022

Not surprisingly, fans were quick to respond and offer some words of encouragement for the performer.

One viewer tweeted: ‘Drew McIntyre: sacrificing his body since day 1. Drew deserves to be the new WWE champion.’

‘And they say wrestling ain’t real,’ quipped a second person, while another added: ‘The fact that people still don’t get that all the bumps they take is real is crazy to me. After all these years. Yea the outcome of the match is scripted but they do real damage to themselves for our entertainment. Real chairs. Real ladders.’

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With one episode of SmackDown left before Clash At The Castle, McIntyre could get his chance at revenge one night before he looks to win the world championship in front of a massive UK crowd.

Elsewhere on the Cardiff show, Gunther and Sheamus are sure to bring the physicality in an Intercontinental Title bout between two heavyweight bruisers, Liv Morgan defends her SmackDown Women’s Title against Shayna Baszler and much more.

WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.

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