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Drew McIntyre is currently one of the biggest stars in WWE. As a two-time WWE Champion, he was the MVP of the pandemic era, leading the company during some of its roughest times. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for McIntyre, however. After a debut that saw him christened as a “future world champion” by the man himself, Vince McMahon, McIntyre found only modest success. When he was released in 2014, it looked like we had seen the last of Drew McIntyre. He seemed destined to finish the rest of his career on the indie circuit before disappearing into obscurity. Instead, McIntyre reinvented himself, and over three years built himself up into one of the best wrestlers in the world, all without WWE’s help.
Drew McIntyre Was “The Chosen One”
When McIntyre first appeared on WWE television, it was at the side of Vince McMahon on an episode of SmackDown. He received the ultimate push, with Vince McMahon calling him McIntyre “The Chosen One.” With the chairman so confident in his future, McIntyre's sky seemed the limit.
His limits turned out to be much lower, however. McIntyre was not the chosen one, not the next face of the company, and not a future world champion. He carried Intercontinental gold for a brief time, and while a consistent performer, he wasn’t an impactful one. After being relegated to the jobber faction, 3MB, for a few years, McIntyre’s potential had vanished. He was a low midcard act now and not taken seriously by WWE or its fans. He had to go. It turned out to be the best thing for his career.
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Drew McIntyre Becomes Drew Galloway
After being future endeavored by WWE in 2014, McIntyre had to drop his given WWE stage name. He came back to wrestling under his real name, Drew Galloway. Immediately, McIntyre seemed different. Some of it was the little things. The babyface was gone, replaced by a beard that made him look more intimidating. His body changed, losing the lean look for a massive, muscular physique. McIntyre took his release seriously and used it as a chance to better himself, first with his body. He now looked like a superstar.
McIntyre’s attitude and style changed as well. No longer held back by bad WWE creative decisions, McIntyre became a blank slate. He was no longer a bum in a fake band. He was a brazen badass who demanded your attention.
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As expected, McIntyre pinballed around the indie scene, from Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore to IWF, AAA, PCW, and every three-letter combination imaginable. He was not a sad nostalgia act, however. McIntyre was facing the best in the world, from up and comers like Tomasso Ciampa and Brian Cage to veterans such as Cody Rhodes and John Morrison. Along the way, he collected several of the companies' championships, establishing himself as one of the biggest stars in indie wrestling.
The Future Finally Becomes The Present
It was McIntyre’s stay in TNA that finally showed the wrestling world and WWE what he was truly capable of. Debuting in 2015 on what was then the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the country, he would form a faction known as The Rising, comprised of himself, Eli Drake (LA Knight), and Micah (Tanga Loa). Though the group didn’t last long, it catapulted McIntyre onto bigger singles feuds.
In 2016 McIntyre had one of his biggest wins, beating Kurt Angle in one of his last TNA matches. The most impactful moment of his career came soon after when McIntyre defeated Matt Hardy to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre had finally achieved what others had long ago seen in him. While it wasn’t the WWE Championship, McIntyre was still a world champion in a major wrestling organization. The future had been realized.
McIntyre would carry the title for three months, beating the likes of Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Bobby Lashley, before dropping the belt back to Lashley. He would never get his championship back, but it didn’t matter. McIntyre, on his own, had changed the perception of who he was. No longer did anyone look at him and see a failed jobber. They now saw him for everything he could be. Once a small fish in a big pond, he had made himself the big fish in a smaller pond that could no longer contain him.
In 2017, McIntyre returned to the WWE, risking a repeat of the same treatment, but his confidence and achievements carried him through his embarrassing past. McIntyre would become NXT Champion, and even though his transition back to the main roster was a little rough at times, the love from the fans finally pushed him to the top of the ladder. In 2020, McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and captured the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. He’s been one of the pillars of WWE, carrying the company on his massive back, ever since.
