5 Superstars who aren't ready to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE title and 5 who are

Drew McIntyre's coronation at WrestleMania 36 wasn't delayed as he defeated Brock Lesnar clean in four-and-a-half minutes to claim his first WWE Championship. Before WrestleMania 36, McIntyre had never even competed for a World Championship and this year, it seems as though his time has come.

While everyone wishes that the circumstances would have been different, WWE has proven that even in times like these, the wheel will keep spinning. McIntyre will now be the central figure of Monday Night RAW, similar to what Seth Rollins was last year and Roman Reigns the years before.

While we're not sure what lies ahead, The Big Show turned out to be a surprising first challenger on the RAW after WrestleMania 36, but we assume that was to promote his recently-released Netflix show titled The Big Show Show.

Let's take a look at five opponents who aren't ready to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship and 5 who are:

#5. Isn't ready: Jinder Mahal

Will Jinder Mahal repeat his miraculous run in 2017?

Jinder Mahal would understandably feel like a random addition on this list. However, he's been out of action for a long time now and will look for the right time to get back in the mix. While we can't guarantee it, we wouldn't be surprised to see Mahal brought back as a potential opponent for Drew McIntyre - especially given their history together.

It gives a good reason and base for the rivalry, but the truth is that Mahal being McIntyre's first legitimate feud as WWE Champion would likely be detrimental to the Scotsman's run as Champion.

If Mahal is to be built as a contender for the World Championship, WWE should avoid the same mistake they made in 2017 and build him up before putting him in the big spot.

#5. Is ready: Randy Orton

Randy Orton had one of his best runs in recent years in his feud against Edge this past WrestleMania season. He's always been better as a heel, but for many years, he lacked the edge that previously took him to the next level.

We don't see him moving to SmackDown anytime soon, which means that he'll still be a main-eventer on WWE's flagship show. If he continues to be the heel that he is, WWE doesn't have to wait long to put him in a title match. Despite his loss to Edge (in a match that was far longer than it needed to be), it won't affect him enough where he won't be ready to be a WWE title challenger.

Moreover, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre are yet to cross paths and have a serious singles feud, which is why Orton would be the perfect challenger for McIntyre. A fresh feud is what both men need and having a feud with a legend like Orton should help elevate his status.

#4. Isn't ready: Andrade

The United States Champion Andrade has been absent for almost all of WrestleMania season, having first undergone a 30-day suspension before getting injured and subsequently pulling out of his scheduled RAW Tag Team Championship match at the Show of Shows.

He's still the United States Champion and is believed to be the answer to what WWE has been looking for a time - a top Latino World Champion. While they tried with Alberto Del Rio, it never worked out as they had hoped and Andrade is a far superior in-ring performer, with his limited English covered for by business associate/manager Zelina Vega.

Andrade is a Superstar we fully expect to become World Champion eventually, but history won't repeat itself for him when it comes to the WWE title. If you're not aware, Drew McIntyre lost his NXT Championship to Andrade in November 2017.

They're in a completely different stage now - one where Andrade is going to have to take a lot longer to reach the top. Right now, he isn't ready to challenge for the WWE title.

#4. Is ready: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has been back on Monday Night RAW for many months now and for most of that time, his focus has been on Seth Rollins and his faction. Having beaten Rollins and ended his string of wins at WrestleMania, he's now ready to move forward with a new feud.

Owens was Kofi Kingston's first major WWE Championship challenger after WrestleMania 36 but fell short before turning face again. It was an odd situation since Owens was reportedly scheduled to return and face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 30, but KofiMania changed all of that.

He regained his momentum and has done well on Monday Night RAW, directly under the creative head Paul Heyman, who many feel is the best man to handle Superstars like Owens.

He should be getting a big push now and being Drew McIntyre's challenger would certainly make for an interesting program. It doesn't matter that Owens isn't a heel anymore, as face vs face feuds have been done many times before.

#3. Isn't ready: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley has had a weird run these last few months. Since the end of September, he's been in a storyline and subsequent marriage to Lana, who left Rusev for him. While the rivalry with Rusev got a lot of traction, it ended abruptly after The Bulgarian Brute suffered an injury.

He didn't do much after that apart from squash matches and lost to Aleister Black at WrestleMania 36. While it was a forgettable group, one mustn't forget about his alliance with Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin as well.

Unsurprisingly, the alliance didn't last too long and seemed put together to face the reunited Shield. While Lashley hasn't been competing for the World Championships for a while, his momentum has taken a hit this year, which is why he needs to be built up to reach that level again.

It's a good chance to finally have Bobby Lashley face Brock Lesnar, though we don't see it being on the cards anytime soon. It could do wonders for Lashley even in defeat.

#3. Is ready: Edge

Edge made his in-ring return in 2020 at the Royal Rumble before having his first singles match in nine years against Randy Orton. It's surreal to think that Edge is here to stay, but from the way things look, that could be the case.

It's a three-year contract where he'll be wrestling on a part-time basis, which is why we don't expect him before SummerSlam season. However, Edge has expressed interest in facing several Superstars on the current roster. It's an entirely different one from when he left off in 2011, which is why it makes for a more exciting challenge for the Rated R-Superstar.

We don't expect Edge to compete for the World Championship right away, but if McIntyre has a long run as WWE Champion, what's stopping the company from putting him in a title match?

The story could write itself, with Edge challenging for a World Championship after nine years, while McIntyre looks to topple another legend of the business to further establish his legacy as WWE Champion.

#2. Isn't ready: Ricochet

Ricochet was the Superstar who assisted Drew McIntyre in eliminating Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble 2020. It was a great moment and it led to Ricochet beating Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley to earn a WWE Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown 2020.

However, he lost in all but two minutes and would go on to lose a 24/7 Championship match to Riddick Moss. It was a bit ridiculous but we felt that it was likely a part of a bigger story arc to help Ricochet's character grow. That might have to be halted for a while as he's now in a tag team with Cedric Alexander - with the two being announced as a team on the RAW after WrestleMania 36.

With Ricochet's involvement in Drew McIntyre's eventual Royal Rumble win, it would be a filler match with McIntyre and an unnecessary one at that. Simply put, Ricochet has a long way to go before being ready to compete for the WWE title again. We would expect that to be a year and a half minimum.

#2. Is ready: AJ Styles

AJ Styles is a once-in-a-generation talent, which is why it didn't take too long for Vince McMahon to recognize that and make him one of the focal points of WWE programming for a few years.

He's thrived at any role he's been in and in 2020, he added a WrestleMania main event to his list of accomplishments. To add to it, he even managed to give The Undertaker his best match in seven years.

AJ Styles was the first challenger to Seth Rollins' Universal Championship post-WrestleMania 35 last year and to nobody's surprise, the two would have an unforgettable title match at Money in the Bank 2019. WWE knows that they can rely on Styles for anything and he looked great even in defeat against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36.

WWE doesn't even need to build him up. Given his name value, he's a big enough name to challenge McIntyre - and perhaps the best one if they truly want to make McIntyre look like a strong WWE Champion.

#1. Isn't ready: Aleister Black

This might surprise some, as Aleister Black has been getting a huge push on Monday Night RAW. He's hardly lost since coming to RAW last year and though he had a forgettable run on SmackDown, he seems to be getting the opportunity and screen-time under Paul Heyman's leadership.

From the look of things, he's also one of the Superstars that Heyman intends on pushing and we couldn't think of a better choice. Black has what it takes to be a World Champion in WWE, but he isn't the kind of Superstar who should have a rocket strapped on his back immediately.

What he needs more now is a serious feud - one like he had against [Buddy] Murphy earlier this year. Black is a great in-ring performer who knows how to make opponents look good even in defeat.

While he makes for an extremely interesting challenge for Drew McIntyre, the timing isn't right and he feels like he's still a while away and a few feuds away from even competing for the WWE Championship.

#1. Is ready: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins, even in defeat against Kevin Owens, should be one of the central figures of Monday Night RAW. Given his track record and appearances on WWE's flagship brand, it makes no sense to remove him from that or give him a less relevant feud.

He has always been among the best parts of the show and he's a Superstar who we believe should never leave the brand. From the way things are going, he's set to establish himself as a legend of the RAW brand and that should continue in World Championship pursuits.

Rollins hasn't chased the World Championship since losing the Universal title to Bray Wyatt at Crown Jewel 2019 and it's high time he gets back into the mix. Since he's a heel, he makes for the perfect challenger for Drew McIntyre and it feels like a feud that needs to happen.

It's going to be interesting to see what Rollins' character change will be like going forward, but we expect a more serious and intense version of The Monday Night Messiah.