Drew McIntyre has wanted to face Brock Lesnar ‘for years’
Even if Drew McIntyre doesn’t win the 2020 Royal Rumble and work his way towards a WWE WrestleMania 36 match against Brock Lesnar, he is doing his best to hype up a potential matchup between the two monstrous men.
When Drew McIntyre returned to WWE in 2017, fans were immediately coming up with ideas for dream matches for the former “Chosen One”. Better in the ring, more intense on the mic, and more composed as a performer off the screen, McIntyre immediately flourished in NXT, winning the NXT Title off Bobby Roode before dropping it to Andrade “Cien” Almas in an even better TakeOver match.
As a member of the WWE Raw roster ever since the Superstar Shakeup after WrestleMania 34, McIntyre has been consistently hyped up as a future world champion. And in 2020, it looks like McIntyre could finally get a chance to run with the ball.
Roman Reigns is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble, and both Brock Lesnar and Kevin Owens are also seen as likely options. However, fans are keeping a close eye on McIntyre, especially since he’s upped his game on the mic and in the ring to the level we’ve come to expect.
And in a recent interview with TV Insider’s Scott Fishman, McIntyre stated that he’s been waiting to face The Beast Incarnate for quite some time:
"“If I won the Rumble, it’s the same guy I’ve had in mind for years. I’d fight Brock Lesnar in a second. A lot of people on the roster genuinely wouldn’t want to get in the ring with him. They are terrified of the idea. I want to get in the ring with him. I know we could put on a heck of a spectacle and a fight. There aren’t many who can stand toe-to-toe with me. That’s someone I definitely want. He gets this criticism that he doesn’t show up to work all the time and this and that. The way I look at it, he was offered the contract. He signed the contract. It’s not his fault. The only problem I have is the title is not on the shows and live events. We need the title back. I have no personal issues with him. Who wouldn’t sign that contract? I just want that opportunity to get the title back on Raw because it belongs on the shows and live events.”"
McIntyre’s comments here are, as usual, quite thoughtful and nuanced. He wants to bring the WWE Championship “back” to Raw on a full-time basis, which is similar to what Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins said in the build to WrestleManias 34 and 35, respectively. But unlike them, he respects Lesnar and holds no ill-will towards him for doing what’s best for him. This response may be because McIntyre didn’t want to take a kayfabe route, but it would also jibe with his character; he’d also take the best deal for himself.
Next. AEW and failed promises of diversity. dark
Beyond that, a McIntyre vs. Lesnar match is unlikely at WrestleMania 36, but it’s definitely going to happen at some point in the near future. Paul Heyman is high on him, McIntyre is producing good work, and he’s going to become an even bigger star in WWE.