Early Wrestling Career
Andrew Galloway IV was born on June 6, 1985, in Ayr, Scotland. He became a fan of pro wrestling when he was a child and officially started training at 15 years old at Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Galloway’s parents agreed to support his wrestling career so long as he continued his academic studies; Galloway went on to earn a master’s degree in criminology from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Galloway made his debut in 2003 under the ring name Drew Galloway. He would carry this ring name across the European independent scene, wrestling in promotions like IWW and ICW.
First WWE Run
In late 2007, Galloway signed with WWE and adopted the ring name Drew McIntyre. He made his debut for the company on the October 12 episode of Raw but was soon transferred to the WWE developmental system.
McIntyre first wrestled for OVW but moved to FCW when WWE pulled their contract with the Ohio-based promotion. On March 19, 2009, McIntyre became FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion. Shortly after he lost the title in July, he was brought back to the main roster and re-debuted on Smackdown.
McIntyre received high praise and serious endorsement from Vince McMahon, who proclaimed McIntyre to be a future world champion. McIntyre started to live up to those expectations when he defeated John Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship at TLC in December 2009. However, things would soon begin to go downhill for McIntyre.
WWE Departure
After a few years of miscellaneous feuds, McIntyre was placed into a boy band-inspired faction called 3MB (the Three Man Band) alongside Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater. Though all three men were talented stars in their own rights, 3MB was treated as a comedic mid-card faction.
Dismissive booking and mounting personal issues effectively squandered the momentum that McIntyre once had in WWE. On June 12, 2014, WWE announced that Drew McIntyre had been released from the company.
Return To The Independent Circuit
On July 27, 2014, Drew Galloway made his return to independent wrestling at an ICW show. He went on to wrestle for several more independent promotions, including RevPro in England, wXw in Germany, and PWG in the United States.
Galloway also had a brief tenure in TNA. He made his surprise debut for the company on January 29, 2015, and entered a feud with former WWE star MVP. On March 15, 2016, Galloway defeated Matt Hardy to become the first Scottish-born TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
The Scottish Warrior Comes Home
On April 12, 2017, Drew McIntyre made his triumphant return to WWE on an episode of NXT. A few months later on August 19, McIntyre defeated Bobby Roode to become NXT Champion.
On April 16, 2018, McIntyre made his surprise return to the main roster during an episode of Raw. He immediately turned heel and aligned himself with Dolph Ziggler. The two of them would go on to become Raw Tag Team Champions.
In early 2020, McIntyre began to show a more respectful, friendly side of his personality. He vowed to win that year’s Royal Rumble and become the first Scottish world champion in WWE history.
True to his word, McIntyre won the 2020 Royal Rumble and challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. At Wrestlemania 36, McIntyre defeated Lesnar. He held the title until that year’s Hell in a Cell, where he lost to Randy Orton. He then regained the belt shortly after only to lose it to Bobby Lashley.
Since losing the WWE Championship, McIntyre has teamed up with several WWE stars such as the New Day and his old friend Sheamus. He has feuded with heels like the Intercontinental Champion Gunther and the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.