WWE: Drew McIntyre would be perfect as Seth Rollins’ next challenger

After making his impressive return to WWE on Monday Night Raw, the timing might be right for Drew McIntyre to finally get that big push.

Drew McIntyre returned from his reported injury with a bang on Monday Night Raw by laying out Ricochet in vicious fashion during his first night back in WWE action.

It was certainly a statement-making performance for McIntyre, especially considering that Ricochet is still not far removed from a United States Championship run. Hopefully, that’s a sign that even bigger things may be in store for “The Scottish Psychopath” on Raw.

Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we have to remember how WWE has treated McIntyre so far.

His struggles on the main roster have been very well-documented at this point. His inconsistent push and frequent role as a bodyguard have virtually placed a cap on his potential, despite the fact that he’s been in feuds with major stars like Roman Reigns and The Undertaker.

Nevertheless, there’s still good reason to believe that this time might be different. There were a lot of fresh faces getting pushed on Raw already, perhaps signaling that WWE isn’t going to waste any more time in tapping into the potential of its rising stars.

Additionally, it’s important to note that Drew McIntyre was a first round pick in the WWE Draft. It’s a position that arguably indicates more than a little faith in McIntyre’s potential as a future WWE or Universal Champion.

Now, I realize we’ve been down this road with Drew McIntyre before. Actually, we’ve been down it several times before by now. All of this hopeful optimism sounds fine and dandy, but there’s going to have to be a real plan for McIntyre if he’s going to ever reach that next level.

McIntyre can be so much more than a gatekeeper, or emergency top heel. WWE needs to let him stake his claim once and for all as a main-eventer this time, and they might just have the perfect way to do that.

WWE has started to book themselves into a corner with Seth Rollins. It was evident on Raw that the seeds are being planted for a potential major character change for the Universal Champion, yet the person responsible for causing that change is going to be on an entirely different brand.

It’s clear then that there has to be a plan for Rollins after his rivalry with Bray Wyatt concludes, likely in that “Falls Count Anywhere Match that can’t be stopped for any reason” that WWE is advertising for Crown Jewel.

There needs to be a slow burn to Rollins’ heel turn in order for it to fully succeed anyways. It would be a waste for it to happen so quickly at Crown Jewel when it could be such a compelling story on weekly TV for weeks to come.

That means somewhat else is going to have to take over as Seth Rollins’ tormentor after Wyatt.

Enter Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre is brilliant as an arrogant and destructive heel. It’s a role he’s practically built to play. His entire feud with Kurt Angle last year showed he can excel in every aspect of villainy that would be required to look believable in the role he would need to play against Seth Rollins.

That’s without even mentioning his amazing in-ring ability. A pay-per-view main event match between him and Rollins at a show like Tables, Ladders, and Chairs could easily be a late candidate for match of the year.

Basically, that guarantees this would be the kind of major spotlight feud that could not only finally cement McIntyre in the main event, but also capitalize on perhaps the one positive development for Seth Rollins to come out of that feud with Wyatt.

Despite McIntyre’s aforementioned flair for viciousness, he can also play a pretty great face too, making him a prime candidate for this role if WWE wants to go the route of a double turn for Rollins and the opponent who causes him to snap.

All together, I feel like that should give some hope for people skeptical as to whether or not Drew McIntyre will finally break out on the main roster. If Raw was any indication, It certainly seems like WWE may be finally embracing his potential, and now there’s even likely going to be a prime opportunity available for a superstar like him on the red brand to boot.

Everything seems like it could be lining up for a breakout end of 2019 for Drew McIntyre. Heck, it may even be lining up for Seth Rollins to regain his quickly deteriorating popularity. It’s just up to WWE now to make sure that happens by setting up McIntyre versus Rollins to close the year out.