WWE: Ignore the ratings, Drew McIntyre is off to an incredible start

For a first WWE championship reign, Drew McIntyre is off to a very good start.

After not only slaying the beast at WWE WrestleMania but dominating him for weeks beforehand, Drew McIntyre followed up by defeating The Big Show on the same night. Two behemoths slain, Drew McIntyre walked straight into the next fight. He drew the lot of Andrade, backed up with Angel Garza, Austin Theory and Zelina Vega and vanquished Andrade too.

The next challenge? Probably the biggest name left on Raw once Brock Lesnar had been eliminated. Seth Freaking Rollins. The Messiah. Mr. Monday Night. Taken down without a hitch. Buddy Murphy beaten along the way. Now he reaches across the field for Baron Corbin; unafraid, unfettered, unchallenged.

And that’s when things start to get difficult. Who’s next? Maybe this invitational isn’t a bad idea after all.

All WWE brands have lost numbers recently. A thick group of releases, coupled with several names missing in action, have left Raw struggling for top-level talent. Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre is burning through them like a man possessed. AJ Styles? A month. Jinder Mahal? Two weeks, perhaps? At this rate, Bobby Lashley might be taken down at the cost of ten minutes and a diet coke.

To give McIntyre a fitting first reign, there is a cost to those around him. Drew has to crush the opposition and look strong but that opposition will suffer because of it. Team Vega is struggling both for wins and for credibility. Seth Rollins was beaten so badly that his hair might never recover. Also Rey Mysterio’s eye but that’s not the point.

With numbers running thin and Raw taking a hit in the ratings because of the pandemic, the lack of top names and the usual seasonal slump, history may paint a poor picture of Vince McMahon’s chosen one’s first WWE championship reign. Every year we see wrestlers judged by the viewership around them instead of crowd engagement, the quality of their storytelling, and the drawing potential of the roster as a whole. Sadly, this may be doomed to happen once again.

It’s something we’ve seen before. When Seth Rollins was the Universal Champion, he was accused of not being a draw because ratings were low. Becky Lynch was accused of not being a draw. Brock wasn’t a draw. Jinder Mahal wasn’t a draw. Alexa Bliss apparently also wasn’t a draw. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns weren’t draws. We’re constantly bombarded with a false concept that someone isn’t a draw because ratings are down and it’s all on one person’s shoulders. Who exactly are the draws here?

Every year, ratings are lower than they were the year before. The trend is very consistent. The proverbial tale as old as time. Drew McIntyre’s reign must not be judged on the ratings because if there’s one thing we can guarantee it’s that the ratings are going to be low. Meanwhile, the WWE will continue to post record profits. This time around, we need to forget the ratings and judge McIntyre by his in-ring dominance, the names that he strikes down, and whether or not we are entertained.

Which is the main point, isn’t it? If you’re entertained by Drew McIntyre as the WWE champion, it’s probably going to keep going.