When Drew McIntyre made his presence known on SmackDown in 2009, Vince McMahon himself crowned the young Scotsman 'The Chosen One'. He got off to a decent start, but somewhere along the road, things went very wrong.
McIntyre went from being a future main-event star to a jobber before being released by the promotion. He took the firing in his stride, re-inventing himself and winning championships around the world. After returning to the promotion, McIntyre finally fulfilled the prophecy, winning the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36.
His latest run has been accompanied by some truly fantastic matches that have solidified his status as one of the biggest stars in the promotion.
10 Vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 36)
After winning the Royal Rumble in a star-making performance, Drew McIntyre took on Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 for the WWE Championship. The match wasn't everyone's cup of tea due to its reliance on finishers and short duration, but the storytelling was top-notch.
When McIntyre kicked out of the F-5 at one, The Beast began to lose focus, allowing McIntyre to capitalize on an opening. Fans had seen it before during his feuds with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, but McIntyre's sheer emotion elevated the quality of the match.
9 Vs. Seth Rollins (Raw, March 18, 2019)
Heading into WrestleMania 35, WWE decided to have McIntyre feud with a returning Roman Reigns. Everyone knew Reigns would win that match, but in the build to the event, WWE pushed McIntyre to make him a believable threat.
In the main-event of Raw on March 18, 2019, McIntyre took on Seth Rollins in singles competition. McIntyre was absolutely dominant, stopping Rollins in his tracks time and time again. He even picked up the victory thanks to a well-timed distraction from Brock Lesnar, which allowed him to drop Rollins with the Claymore.
8 Vs. Oney Lorcan (NXT, April 12, 2017)
After re-signing with WWE, Drew McIntyre made his re-debut against Oney Lorcan on the April 12th episode of NXT in 2017. Most fans expected that this would be a short match that would serve to re-introduce McIntyre to the WWE Universe, but Lorcan had other plans in mind.
The two men put on a hard-hitting bout that saw Lorcan trying to take down McIntyre with everything he had in his arsenal, but the Scotsman refused to stay down, picking up the victory with a well-timed Claymore and showing the WWE Universe that he meant business.
7 Vs. Adam Cole (NXT Live, January 3, 2018)
At a live event in San Antonio, Drew McIntyre defended the NXT Championship against Adam Cole, with Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee. The two men put on a great match, with McIntyre dominating Cole thanks to his size advantage, and Cole targeting McIntyre's legs to even things up.
False finishes, Cole dropping Michaels with a Superkick, and just fantastic action, in general, resulted in a fun match that saw McIntyre successfully defend his championship against the leader of The Undisputed Era. This was a match that could have been the main-event of any TakeOver.
6 Vs. Dolph Ziggler (The Horror Show At Extreme Rules, 2020)
Pretty much as soon as Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship, he proved himself to be a fighting champion. He gave his former tag team partner Dolph Ziggler a shot at the gold at Extreme Rules, with the added caveat that the Showoff could choose the stipulation and reveal it at the beginning of the match.
The stipulation saw Ziggler work under an Extreme Rules stipulation, which would also see McIntyre lose the gold if he was counted out or disqualified. The two wrestled a great, fun match. Ziggler was more motivated than usual, and McIntyre looked fantastic, as he beat Ziggler despite having the odds stacked against him.
5 Vs. Roderick Strong (NXT, October 4, 2017)
Drew McIntyre took on Roderick Strong in the main-event of the October 4th episode of NXT in 2017. An early backbreaker gave Strong control of the match, before a Razor's Edge from the top rope swung the momentum in McIntyre's favor.
Near falls and one big move after the other kept the fans on the edge of their seats before a Future Shock and Claymore gave McIntyre the big win. It was a phenomenal match that ended with the opponents shaking hands as a sign of mutual respect, in front of a rabid live audience.
4 Vs. Bobby Roode (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III)
In the main-event of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, "The Glorious One" Bobby Roode sought to successfully defend his NXT Championship against Drew McIntyre. Roode's early showboating cost him control of the match, as McIntyre dominated the champion.
After some fantastic back-and-forth action, Roode dropped McIntyre with consecutive Glorious DDTs. When he set up for a third, the Scotsman stunned him with a headbutt, before hitting him with a Claymore and winning the NXT Championship. It was a phenomenal match that saw his celebration cut short, thanks to a debuting Adam Cole, who beat him down with a little help from Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish.
3 Vs. Andrade 'Cien' Almas (NXT TakeOver: WarGames, 2017)
Andrade 'Cien' Almas went from being one of NXT's blandest Superstars to one of its most engaging, thanks to his on-screen partnership with Zelina Vega. All of that led to him facing off against Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship.
The match was about 15 minutes long and left fans breathless; as the competitors pulled out one huge move after another. The match ended with Andrade hitting McIntyre with a Hammerlock DDT from the top rope to pick up the pinfall victory and become the new NXT Champion. McIntyre's last match as NXT Champion was also one of the best of his entire career.
2 Vs. Seth Rollins (Money In The Bank, 2020)
With a new entrance theme, The Monday Night Messiah sought to defeat Drew McIntyre for his newly won WWE Championship. McIntyre and Rollins aren't strangers in the ring, as the champion dominated using his power before the challenger turned things around by targeting McIntyre's knee.
The absence of a live audience meant that both men could talk trash with ease, which served to make the match feel more personal. Despite pushing McIntyre to the limit, Rollins was unable to put him away. It was perhaps one of the best matches of the 'no audience' era of WWE programming.
1 With Dolph Ziggler Vs. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose (Hell In A Cell, 2018)
Just two weeks after winning the Raw Tag Team Championships, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler defended their newly won belts against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, who have a history with tag team gold. The match that ensued was awesome.
All four men were at the top of their game; Ambrose and McIntyre went toe-to-toe, Ziggler capitalized on openings and Rollins was the heart of the match, stitching everything together. Jaw-dropping sequences saw the audience come unglued, as each false-finish led to the crowd reaching a fever pitch. This was far from the most important match of McIntyre's career, but it was his best.