Drew McIntyre Enters WWE Raw’s Main Event Scene

Drew McIntyre made his presence known on the July 16 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. McIntyre came down to the ring during the opening segment, interrupting Paul Heyman and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle.

Angle and Heyman were discussing Brock Lesnar’s future as WWE Universal champion when suddenly the ring began to fill up with one Superstar after another, each man wanting a shot a The Beast Incarnate. One of those men was indeed Drew McIntyre, who has now entered the main event conversation in WWE.

It was only a matter of time until Drew got this opportunity. From the moment he returned to WWE, fans have wanted to see him rise up in the ranks.

He looked great, he was in the best shape of his life and he had some real main event experience under his belt. This was definitely not the same man that worked for WWE before.

This Drew McIntyre was much more confident. His ring work has improved and his efforts outside of WWE have not gone unnoticed. More importantly, he carries himself like a star. When Drew is on TV, he chews up the scenery around him. The company may have paired him with Dolph Ziggler to help McIntyre, but it could very well be that the booking worked in reverse.

Fans noticed Dolph again thanks to Drew’s presence. The two men worked well together and the fans accepted the duo. But when Ziggler won the Intercontinental Championship from Seth Rollins, fans could see the writing on the wall.

The pair was going to split at some point. Drew had too much potential and he would not spend his return at Ziggler’s side forever. Of course no one knew just how soon McIntyre would actually get an opportunity at the top spot on Monday Night Raw. Common sense said the company should wait and give Drew enough time to get his feet under him. Many fans likely felt the same way because of past history.

Roman Reigns continues to struggle in WWE and much of that has to do with the rapid rate at which WWE elevated him. He was accepted at first but when it became clear that the company would use every resource imaginable to get him over despite the crowd reaction, the plan began to backfire.

Reigns was no longer wanted because fans believed he was being forced upon them. If WWE also decided to move that quickly with Drew McIntyre, then the same thing could potentially happen again. The company surely did not want to mimic the Roman Reigns situation and the WWE faithful surely did not want that either.

But for better or worse, WWE now seems ready to move forward with McIntyre. Drew lost in the Triple Threat Match that also featured Reigns and Finn Balor. But McIntyre had a great showing and the loss will not affect him in the long term. This was not about getting Drew to a title match right now. This was about laying the groundwork for the match to happen eventually.

So now Drew is on his way. The only question is, how will WWE handle his booking? This is the key of course, just as it is for any other Superstar. One thing that needs addressing from the beginning is McIntyre’s role in the company. Which side is he on?

The fact is that Drew’s character is just fine the way it is. There’s no need to turn him babyface, at least not right now. If his popularity does explode like many believe it will, then perhaps WWE will need to look at a turn later on. But as of now, McIntyre should continue to wear the black hat.

Then there’s Dolph Ziggler. Will he and Drew reach the point when a betrayal will take place? If Ziggler continues as Intercontinental champion and McIntyre continues upward, then their partnership is likely over. Will WWE feel the need to create a rift between them, leading to a feud at some point?

But if that happens, then one of the two will probably turn babyface. While Drew’s character should remain as is, the same is true of Ziggler as well. Dolph is also at his best as a heel and there’s no reason why he should turn face right now. So instead of splitting them up in a violent manner, perhaps the best move is to just split them up quietly. Why run a feud if one isn’t needed?

Then the playing field opens up for Drew McIntyre in terms of opponents. Drew needs good feuds against top guys in order to climb the ladder himself. There are a few talents that can put McIntyre to task, including Balor and Lashley. Seth is a great choice as well and the two men already have some heat.

But the big match here is Reigns versus McIntyre. Yes, Roman is still fighting an uphill battle for acceptance as a babyface. Yes, he is still the most controversial figure in WWE. But he is the top guy and he doesn’t need the Universal Championship to be on top.

So if McIntyre is indeed going to rise up, then he will have to face Roman Reigns in order to get there. It may or may not be a rivalry that happens right now but it must happen eventually. There’s just no way around it.

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Drew McIntyre was once known as The Chosen One. Whether or not he will wear that moniker again is unknown. But he’s already realized his potential in the business and soon he will probably do the same in WWE. It’s only a matter of time.