Drew McIntyre's 5 best WWE opponents

Reigns vs. McIntyre: A match for the ages
Reigns vs. McIntyre: A match for the ages

Drew McIntyre has had an interesting WWE career. He made his main roster debut in 2007 and was quickly declared the "Chosen One" by Vince McMahon. However, back then, Drew couldn't live up to the expectations.

To fulfill his destiny, McIntyre returned to WWE in 2017. The Scottish Warrior had the tough task of silencing his critics while justifying the potential Vince McMahon saw in him years ago. His determination eventually helped McIntyre become the WWE Champion.

However, some specific names made sure that Drew's Road to Redemption wasn't easy.

During this journey, Drew McIntyre battled highly-competitive superstars who pushed The Scottish Warrior to his limit. The two-time WWE Champion had to dig deep to overcome the challenges presented by these men.

In this article, let's take a look at Drew McIntyre's five greatest opponents who had memorable battles with the Scottish superstar.


#5. Bobby Lashley has outsmarted Drew McIntyre many times.

Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre share a long history. The two men were part of a dominant faction in 2018 alongside Baron Corbin. They terrorized the RAW roster for months before going their separate ways in April 2019.

When they met again in 2020, they were no longer friends but enemies. The two faced each other at Backlash 2020, where McIntyre barely survived Lashley's onslaught. The Almighty proved to be a perfect match for Drew's strength and forced him to step up his game.

Eight months later, Lashley became the reason for McIntyre's WWE title loss. After taking the WWE Championship off The Miz, Lashley fought Drew at WrestleMania 37. It was a highly-intense contest, where both competitors gave their everything to win. In the end, the champion managed to retain his title, thanks to the distraction caused by MVP.

Both men feuded for a few more months, with Lashley coming out on top every time. It's safe to say that Bobby Lashley was one of the toughest opponents Drew ever faced as he rarely succeeded in defeating The Almighty.

#4. Drew McIntyre has scores to settle with Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre have been at odds since the latter's WWE return. Whenever Drew tries to claim the position of the top guy, he finds The Tribal Chief standing in his way.

Their first singles battle was at WrestleMania 35, where Roman was victorious. The match was somewhat underwhelming as McIntyre didn't look like a credible threat. Thankfully, WWE corrected their mistake at Survivor Series 2020.

The buildup to this pay-per-view saw Drew McIntyre regain the WWE Championship to set up a dream Champion vs. Champion bout with Roman Reigns. On the last Smackdown before the pay-per-view, both men engaged in an epic war of words.

While Reigns called his opponent a "Secondary Champion," McIntyre warned the Universal Champion to stay prepared for a "war." His words turned out to be true. Both men delivered amazing performances, which proved why they are the current flag-bearers of WWE.

It was only the first chapter of this rivalry, and it showed people how breathtaking a feud between two megastars could be. Luckily for fans, they might not have to wait longer to witness another Reigns vs. McIntyre match as the company is planning to have these men fight each other, potentially after WrestleMania 38.


#3. Drew McIntyre had a memorable rivalry with Dolph Ziggler

In 2018, Dolph Ziggler brought in Drew McIntyre as his bodyguard on RAW. The pairing quickly became popular among WWE audiences, who referred to their team as a modern-day version of the Shawn Michaels-Diesel alliance. The duo had great chemistry as a unit, which led to them winning the RAW tag titles.

However, it wasn't long before Drew turned his back on The Showoff. This betrayal led to a series of exciting bouts between the two men. While Dolph won on a few occasions, Drew made up for all those losses by obliterating Ziggler inside a Steel Cage.

Although the feud didn't go further, The Showoff got some revenge by eliminating The Scottish Psychopath from the Royal Rumble Match. It was a great mid-card feud that helped McIntyre transition into a singles superstar.

With the stakes higher this time, the two superstars fought again in the second half of 2020. The former World Heavyweight Champion traded brands to challenge for Drew's WWE title.

They had a couple of brutal Extreme Rules matches, where McIntyre showcased his unhinged side to the world. Although people didn't find this program intriguing at first, they were pleasantly surprised to see the two performers exceed expectations.

#2. Drew Mcintyre became the man to dethrone Brock Lesnar in 2020

The 2020 Royal Rumble was an event that Drew McIntyre will never forget. It was the night he made Brock Lesnar know what he's capable of.

The Beast went on a rampage that night. No one was able to escape his wrath. After eliminating 14 superstars, Lesnar was sure of his second Rumble victory. However, his dreams got crushed when he came face-to-face with Drew McIntyre.

Before Lesnar could lay a finger on The Scotsman, the latter blasted his face with a Claymore. The moment filled Drew with unshakable confidence, which eventually helped him win the entire Rumble match.

The next night on RAW, McIntyre revealed that he's coming for The Beast's WWE title at WrestleMania. In the following weeks, he reminded the champion how lethal he is and what winning the WWE Championship meant to him. Their feud was short and sweet, and they were able to entertain the WWE Universe.

Brock seemed equally interested in this storyline as he always made Drew look like a million bucks during their interactions. He knew Drew had potential and was the rightful superstar to pass the torch.

At WrestleMania 36, Brock Lesnar tried to break Drew's spirit by hitting him with multiple F5s. However, The Scotsman somehow got through the pain and eventually managed to slay The Beast.


#1. Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre had a feud for the ages.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre was one of the most remarkable feuds of the pandemic era. When The Viper was mercilessly hunting down legends, McIntyre stepped up to stop him. It was not at all an easy task for the champ to tame Orton, who had recently rediscovered his sadistic side.

They had a highly-intense match at SummerSlam, where Drew outsmarted Orton with a surprise roll-up. At the following Clash of Champions event, the two collided in a brutal Ambulance match, where the Champ prevailed again.

Finally, at Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Orton dethroned Drew as the WWE Champion and became a 14-time world champion. Unfortunately, his reign didn't last long as McIntyre regained his title a few weeks later.

Although The Legend Killer faced defeat, he impressed fans with a stellar performance. He also received a lot of praise from the WWE Universe for elevating McIntyre's status as a main-event superstar.

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