Drew McIntyre wins a dream Royal Rumble, and Brock Lesnar has to be next
Drew McIntyre had a Royal Rumble performance for the ages, leading to a standing ovation at Minute Maid Park after he eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match.
Going into WWE Royal Rumble 2020, Roman Reigns was the clear favorite to win the match. Just about everyone expected him to win the Rumble and main event WrestleMania 36 in Tampa against The Fiend, who is the current Universal Champion. The same title Reigns never lost.
Reigns could still face The Fiend at WWE WrestleMania for the title as the SmackDown world title match, but it won’t be in the main event.
Because it was Drew McIntyre who prevailed in a bone-chilling Royal Rumble that will be replayed for years and years to come.
It all started when Brock Lesnar comically dominated the first half of the Rumble, eliminating the first 13 competitors he faced.
And it was McIntyre who eliminated him, Claymoring the dominant WWE Champion straight over the top rope for an unprecedented elimination after Lesnar’s all-time run of eliminations to begin the match.
It was a wonderful moment that immediately planted the seed for a future Lesnar vs. McIntyre confrontation and made McIntyre a top star.
The Chosen One finished the job.
There were still more twists and turns in the Rumble match. Edge made a shocking return to reunite Rated RKO. Seth Rollins brought his stable. Matt Riddle showed up.
But the final obstacle ended up being the favorite and a former Royal Rumble winner in Roman Reigns. In fact, the other members of the final four of the Rumble match had a combined four career Royal Rumble wins among them.
No matter. McIntyre ended up standing all in the end.
The former NXT Champion has clearly reinvented himself in his second run in WWE, and his incredible win at this year’s Rumble is the culmination of an incredible, real-life redemption story. From immature talent who coasted on ability to an actual star with top star potential, McIntyre seems destined for greatness in 2020.
He’s stepped up his game even further on the mic this year, taking full advantage of Paul Heyman’s desire to give him the spotlight and the renewed freedom on the microphone that comes with it.
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The build to WrestleMania 36 is about to be insane. And after his dream performance in one of the most memorable Rumble matches of this era, you wouldn’t bet against McIntyre going all the way in Tampa Bay.