More often than not, the "chosen ones' in WWE don't stay fan favorites for very long. It's happened to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and it to some degree, Becky Lynch. For Drew McIntyre, he's not had to deal with the live crowd reaction since he became champion with no fans in attendance.
That said, he's clearly WWE's new face of the Raw brand, if not face of WWE. Logic would suggest the fans will chew him up and spit him out when they can finally return to shows because as John Cena once said, 'Fans don't like to be told who to like.'
McIntyre has a plan to ensure the same fate that fell upon Cena, Rollins and Reigns don't also cast a shadow upon him.
McIntyre recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast and said, he feels, so far, the audience has been receptive to him as the top guy. He explained, "Obviously the live crowd is where we get our instant feedback but also social media. As I’ve said before, [we have] a billion social media followers so I do have a finger on the pulse of how people are reacting, how they’re feeling about things.” That said, he's not going to make assumptions based on the reaction on platforms like Twitter.
He's going to ensure he sets the tone early when those fans are back. He notes:
"I want to be the first one to come out. I don’t want any dark matches, I don’t want any Main Event tapings or anything that we do prior to RAW starting. I’m gonna do whatever I can and harass Vince [McMahon] until he says ‘it’s okay Drew a you can do this.’ I want to be the first person that walks out of that curtain. The fans are going to be rabid to get back.”
McIntyre is betting that fans will be so grateful to be back that the first person they see will be cheered like crazy. He wants to be the one to welcome fans back and get that incredibly cheap pop that is bound to happen no matter what.
It Makes Sense
While McIntyre says he's been pleased with the feedback on social media and fans are rallying behind him, it can't hurt to hedge your bets. And Vince should understand this is a good idea if he wants McIntyre to stay his babyface champion.
McIntyre notes, "I’m just a wrestling fan in the end who’s made it. I’m working as hard as I possibly can." He wants to make sure he tells fans that right up front. Having him kick the tar out of the company's top heel isn't a bad idea either.