In a moment that pumped up the entire crowd and proved WWE knew who the fans wanted to see win, Drew McIntrye won the 2020 men's Royal Rumble match, and he did so after eliminating Brock Lesnar from the match. McIntyre then came out on Monday Night Raw the next night, showed no fear, and challenged Lesnar for WrestleMania.
This moment has been a long time coming. When McIntyre came to WWE, he was announced the Chosen One but never lived up to the hype. He ended up pushed into the role of a jobber and left, only to reinvent himself before returning. It is now his time, and here are 10 things WWE fans need to know about Drew McIntyre.
10 He's Been Wrestling For 17 Years
Drew McIntyre is not old, but he is a wrestling veteran who has been wrestling for 17 years now. That means he started his career right after Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling launched. However, while he started training for wrestling at the age of 15, and he did this in the U.K.
McIntyre put in a lot of work in the U.K., wrestling in England, Scotland, and Ireland. He worked with legendary American names like The Honky Tonk Man, Marty Jannetty, and Mick Foley before he was 20 years old.
9 Feuded With Sheamus Before Coming To The US
Drew Mcintyre is not the only WWE superstar to get his start un the U.K., and a former multi-time world champion was one of his earliest rivals while both men were coming up in the international wrestling scene. This was Sheamus O'Shaunessy, who made it to WWE right before McIntyre.
As a matter of fact, Sheamus won his first world title the same year that McIntyre debuted as the Chosen One in WWE. McIntyre and Sheamus had a long-running feud in Irish Whip Wrestling before Sheamus signed with WWE, and McIntyre soon followed.
8 Debuted In WWE Against Zack Ryder
Drew McIntyre signed with WWE in 2007 and worked a few dark matches as he prepared to start his training with the company. Interestingly, McIntyre didn't begin in developmental. He started on the main roster with Dave Taylor as his mentor.
McIntyre's first match was against Zack Ryder, who was using the name Brett Major at the time. McIntyre won the match. McIntyre was a heel and beat Curt Hawkins (Brian Major) in his second match. His tenure was shortlived before he went to Florida Championship Wrestling to train.
7 Was Named "Future World Champion" By Mr. McMahon In 2009
Drew McIntyre moved on to Florida Championship Wrestling, which later became NXT. While there, he quickly won the FCW tag team titles with Stu Sanders, who he teamed with before in the U.K. After winning the tag titles twice and serving as the FCW Champion, he moved back up to the main roster.
Vince McMahon introduced McIntyre as the "Chosen One," expected to be one of the main event stars. It didn't happen. He won the Intercontinental title and teamed with Cody Rhodes to win the tag title, but that was the extent of his push.
6 Lost To Seth Rollins In Innagural Title Tournament
WWE wasn't sure what to do with Drew McIntyre when the fans rejected him as a legit top guy. He ended up floundering and was on the B-show Superstars more than he was on the main shows. He went on a losing streak, Teddy Long fired him from SmackDown, and he moved to Raw, where he broke the losing streak by beating Hornswoggle.
It looked like McIntyre could get a new lease on life in the revamped NXT. He was in the tournament to determine the first NXT Champion, but he lost to Seth Rollins in the quarterfinals. He then lost a number one contender's match when Bo Dallas eliminated him.
5 Placed Into 3MB As A Jobber Unit
It seemed that Drew McIntyre's career hit a low point, but the bottom did not drop out until after the NXT run. He moved back to the main roster in September 2012 and joined a new faction. This faction was known as the Three Man Band and included Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal.
3MB was a comedy trios unit. They lost almost all their matches, often came out to get beat down by whoever the top star was at the time, often losing in a three-on-one advantage to that star. Less than two years later, McIntyre asked for and was granted his release from WWE.
4 Left WWE In 2014 To Return To Scotland
Drew McIntyre was a star when he left the U.K. He came to WWE with high hopes, but nothing he did there seemed to work, and things just kept getting worse. So, McIntyre did what he felt was best. He got his WWE release, and then he left the United States to return to Scotland and the ICW.
While he was in ICW, McIntyre set out to do something about the downturn in his career. After years of being the Chosen One or a joke in 3MB, McIntyre redesigned himself into a rough, tough, no-nonsense, butt-kicking wrestler. It worked. He won the IWC title four months after returning, and, in 2018, they put him in their Hall of Fame.
3 Won TNA Impact World Wrestling Title
Drew McIntyre completed his transformation from a joke into a bruiser and decided to try his hand in the United States again. At the same time that he was working in Scotland, he was also putting in some work in the U.S. promotion Evolve, where he also won their title in short matter by beating Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero).
In 2015, McIntyre made his debut in TNA Impact Wrestling. He feuded with everyone from Bobby Lashley and Kurt Angle to Matt Hardy and EC3. He won the Impact Wrestling World Championship from Hardy in 2016.
2 Immediately Won NXT Title Upon Returning To WWE
By the time that 2017 rolled around, Drew McIntyre was unrecognizable from the character he portrayed in his last stint in WWE as a part of 3MB. He was no longer a goof and looked like someone who could beat anyone. He made his return to NXT and finally won that title five years after losing in the inaugural tournament.
He made his NXT debut at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, sitting in the audience. Three months later, he won a number one contender's match, and then he beat Bobby Roode for the title at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III.
1 Has Never Had A World Title Shot In WWE
Drew McIntyre has never received a world championship opportunity in WWE. What makes this even crazier is that his former 3MB partner, Jinder Mahal, is a former World Champion, and most people consider McIntyre superior to Mahal in every imaginable way.
That is part of what made his Royal Rumble win in 2020 so special. McIntyre came to WWE with high hopes and was anointed the Chosen One, but he never received a world title shot at that time. Even after returning to WWE from his successful NXT stint, he drifted along again, never getting a chance. Now, at WrestleMania, Drew McIntyre can make all his dreams come true.