Drew McIntyre completed his journey at WrestleMania 36, defeating Brock Lesnar in the second night’s main event to become WWE Champion.
A new era has dawned on Raw after Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in the final main event of WrestleMania 36, hitting The Beast Incarnate with four Claymores after kicking out of three F5’s.
McIntyre’s victory is the culmination of a redemption story that began in 2017 when he returned to NXT after honing his craft on the independent scene. Formerly known as “The Chosen One”, McIntyre has fulfilled his destiny after eliminating Lesnar to win the Royal Rumble match in January and then defeating the dominant champion at the Show of Shows.
Here are five possible opponents for McIntyre after WrestleMania 36.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre have stood toe-to-toe in the ring several times since the latter’s return to Raw after WrestleMania 34. These two superstars have amazing chemistry and can lay claim to defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania.
While Rollins will have some work to do when it comes to building up momentum after falling to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36, it won’t take long for him to challenge McIntyre in his quest for a fifth world championship.
Rollins has held the WWE Championship, specifically, twice in his career before, and he knows he needs to hold a world title in order to truly be taken seriously as the Monday Night Messiah.
Kevin Owens
Although Drew McIntyre will likely be a babyface after defeating Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 and getting a documentary made about his incredible comeback to the company, he can absolutely play the tweener role and feud with a top-notch babyface.
There may not be a male babyface on Raw with as much momentum as Kevin Owens, who was taken to his limit by Rollins at WrestleMania. But after begging for a “No Disqualification” match after Rollins hit him with the timekeeper’s bell, Owens dug down deep and jumped off the WrestleMania sign to eventually pick up a victory via the Stunner.
After picking up his first WrestleMania moment, Owens is riding high and has every right to challenge McIntyre for the championship. A former Universal Champion, KO has what it takes to win the WWE Title for the first time in his career.
Edge
Another babyface coming off an emotional victory at WrestleMania 36, Edge defeated long-time frenemy Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match that took the wind out of everyone. As expected, Edge and Orton put each other through hell, and the final shot of Edge’s pained expression before he slammed the steel chair on Orton for the win was an Oscar-worthy moment that makes for a lasting image in WWE history.
What’s next for Edge? The Rated R Superstar should have the WWE Championship on his mind, and he is one of the few challengers who could truly scare McIntyre. Edge has the experience, as an 11-time world champion, and can find the perfect gameplan to challenge the new champion.
Buddy Murphy
We haven’t seen much of Buddy Murphy on Raw lately, but Seth Rollins’ right-hand man should be ticketed for a massive 2020. Murphy is one of the best athletes in the company and did a fantastic job leading an entire division when he was 205 Live’s top star as the Cruiserweight Champion.
Last year, Murphy had great matches on SmackDown with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns before making his way to Raw, where he’s become one of many wrestlers Paul Heyman is ready to make an important part of the show.
An early title match with Drew McIntyre could do wonders for both Murphy and the current WWE Champion. Both men have the strength and explosiveness to put on a tremendous television match, and Murphy could earn even more respect from Rollins by pushing the champion to his absolute limit.
Andrade
Although Andrade will have to drop the United States Championship in order to have a WWE Title match with Drew McIntyre, he’s held the title for a few months now and could realistically drop the title to rising star Humberto Carrillo – or even someone else – this summer.
WWE could also do a little champion vs. champion match on Raw between McIntyre and Andrade as a way of putting both men over, making McIntyre look like the most dominant male champion on the brand by eventually winning.
El Idolo is one of the best wrestlers in the company, and he will win the WWE Championship one day. Always a favorite for the Money in the Bank briefcase, if the beloved Pay Per View does end up happening in 2020, a seed could be planted for Andrade winning the briefcase and working with Zelina Vega to target an attack on McIntyre’s title.