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WWE Stomping Grounds was a surprisingly fantastic show. Lots of surprise finishes, exciting matches and amazing action that has the WWE Universe buzzing on social media. Tonight, we saw Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre. This was a match that, quite frankly, Drew McIntyre needed to win!
Now, with that being said, I am a big supporter of Roman Reigns. I respect him as a person, a wrestler and a family man. However, if you go by the WWE booking decisions as of late, I would beg to differ with the WWE's decision to have Roman Reigns go over Drew McIntyre this evening.
#3 Drew McIntyre needs a huge push!
To be honest here, ladies and gentlemen, Drew McIntyre is in need of a huge push! It doesn't matter if you have him on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown Live. The man is capable of holding a major championship and carrying it on his own.
He's a dastardly heel that is very good in his role. He knows how to get under your skin and has earned the moniker of "The Scottish Psychopath". His killer instinct and sinister wrestling style has garnered him respect from the WWE Universe.
Having said that, the loss here at Stomping Grounds may have done more harm than good. Drew McIntyre needed the win! Roman Reigns is at a stage in his career where he can take a loss or two and be okay. Drew McIntyre is at a point where he needs all the big wins over the biggest of the baddest WWE Superstars to get to the next level. Now more than ever before, this is Drew's time to shine.
See Also: 5 potential finishes for Romans Reigns vs Drew McIntyre at Stomping Grounds
#2 Drew McIntyre is not just another lackey
Drew McIntyre, as amazing of a competitor he can be in the ring, has the reputation of being a follower rather than a leader. In the past, he was a lackey to the WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon during his initial run back in 2009-2010. He was declared as "The Chosen One" by the Chairman and failed to live up to those expectations.
When he failed, he was shuffled around into a jobber/comedy act along with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal as "The 3 Man Band". Eventually, McIntyre was released from his WWE contract.
Taking advantage of his time away from WWE, he rebuilt his character, changed up his looks, added to his physique and character. He made his return to the WWE in 2017 and was off to a great start in NXT, before eventually make the shift back to the WWE main roster. Long story short, Drew was heading in the right direction. Until recently, his path was altered.
Drew McIntyre aligned himself initially with Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley as a trio hellbent on destroying The Shield. After Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) left the WWE, he aligned himself with Shane McMahon in his pursuit to put "The Big Dog" Roman Reigns to sleep.
As you can see, Drew has garnered the reputation of following or teaming with others, versus being his own man. He has proven outside the realm of the WWE during his time away that he's a force to be reckoned with. He does not need Shane McMahon or Baron Corbin to show him the way. Drew needed the win tonight over Roman Reigns to prove that he's not another pawn in someone else's game plan. A win tonight could have been the difference between a future championship opportunity and going to the back of the line.
#1 This is Drew McIntyre's last chance!
Drew McIntyre is thirty four years old. He's still a young wrestler in the eyes of the WWE Universe and has a lot of life left in him to go for his wrestling career, provided that he remains injury free. Drew is the healthiest and at the peak of his wrestling career, at this point in time. He is at the apex of where he needs to be. Drew needs to get this WWE Championship and/or WWE Universal Championship run.
The reason I'm pushing for this with Drew McIntyre is the potential he has to carry the WWE or a respective brand on his shoulders. If Drew McIntyre were a babyface, I may have my doubts. That's not to say that Drew can't be a good babyface but he loses some of his edginess, his cool factor. You see him as a heel and he is as deadly as any wrestler could be, inside and outside the ring.
Roman Reigns is the perfect catalyst for Drew McIntyre. He's the face of the WWE, no question about that. Whether Reigns has a title or not, a win over Roman Reigns is a huge deal. This may have been Drew's last chance to have a singles match opportunity to become the biggest baddest, dog in the yard. Roman Reigns is running the yard, can it be Drew McIntyre that puts this dog to sleep once and for all? Will we see Drew McIntyre get one last chance to put Roman Reigns in his place?
These are questions that I hope will be answered sooner rather than later. We know that Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre plan to face Roman Reigns tomorrow night on RAW in a handicap match. This is the time for Drew to step out from Shane's shadow and stop playing as his puppet, take the vengeance that he needs and move forward rather than backwards.
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