He’s 6’5″ 250 pounds, he can move in the ring, and the man can do a kip-up, that should be illegal at his size. Drew McIntyre debuted on the WWE main roster in the latter part of 2006. He earned back to back victories on Smackdown and one win on RAW, in the early part of 2007 against Charlie Haas. After this quick start, he took time off but then came back to the main roster on August 28, 2009. McIntyre was labeled the “chosen one” during this time. Vince McMahon fell in love with his size, brutality in the ring and Scottish ancestry. McIntyre was 24 years old at the time and for all intents and purposes, was too green. McIntyre held the Intercontinental Championship for 161 days as well as having a Tag Team Title reign with “Dashing” Cody Rhoades.
Among only two title runs, he was in countless main event scenarios featuring John Cena, Matt Hardy, and The Undertaker. However, the “new car” smell wore off after two years and Drew spent the next four years from 2011 to 2014 in WWE obscurity. Somehow, he landed himself in one of the most “what in the world was that?” wrestling stables of all time, The 3 Man Band (yup, that happened). Drew was the Scottish rocker in this group, with the attire to match. Hee was rarely seen on tv but IF he was, it was in a losing effort. Finally, in 2014 McIntyre was released by the WWE and he made his way back to the Indy Circuit.
Drew spent eight years in the biggest wrestling company in the world and was now back working bingo halls and armories in obscure cities and countries people couldn’t even find on a map. This was the best thing that ever happened to him. McIntyre was able to rebrand himself and build his confidence in front of intimate crowds who knew his story. He continued traveling around the world winning titles in multiple promotions in the United States, Scotland and England. McIntyre built himself in such a way that the WWE would HAVE to come to him and ask if he would come back. Earlier this year, that’s exactly what happened.
Drew is now back with WWE for the second time in his career, AND HE’S ONLY 32! THAT’S RIGHT 32! He spent 7 years in the WWE the first time, took three years off, came back AND IS STILL 32. Here is why we know Drew has matured. He could have come in and said, I’ve won titles everywhere, I’ve been here before, put me on the main roster, now. But he went the opposite direction and signed a contract to start in WWE NXT, which is the equivalent of a farm system. He wants to help build a smaller brand from the ground up and get his feet wet again, then make a smoother transition to the main roster. That action is how we know this will be a “brand new” Drew McIntyre the second time around.
It is believed that Drew McIntyre will be called up either at the end of 2017 or early 2018 (lean towards 2017). When he’s in the biggest spotlight, on the biggest stage, in the biggest company, it will be on his own terms. Drew is not only an awesome athlete and wrestler, he now has a comprehensive understanding of the business. He has come away with the knowledge and experience to take care of business in AND out of the squared-circle.