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Drew McIntyre has come a long way since he first became a part of WWE in 2007. From losing his way as a member of 3MB to eventually leaving the company, only to return in 2017 and end up winning a world title, McIntyre has seen several highs and lows in the world of professional wrestling.
The Scottish Psychopath has finally fulfilled his legacy though and given the explosive fashion in which he claimed the WWE Championship for Brock Lesnar, it feels like he's here to stay as a champion for a long time now. Thus, McIntyre is in line for several mouthwatering feuds over the next few months.
Seth Rollins seems to be the first in line given his scathing attack on the Scotsman during this week's Monday Night RAW. However, there are many other Superstars too whom McIntyre should get a chance to defend his WWE Championship again. Thus, without further ado, let's get into the list.
#5 Aleister Black
Just like Drew, Aleister Black is also a former NXT Champion. The two never faced each other on the Black and Gold brand but it just leaves the opportunity open for a clash on RAW. Both Superstars have similar fighting styles too, and both their finishers involve incapacitating the opponent with a giant boot to the face.
Black has a lot of momentum going for him right now wherein he's lost just one singles match on either of SmackDown or RAW since July 2019. The loss came at the hands of AJ Styles, but only after The Dutch Destroyer had two grueling matches with The Phenomenal One's accomplices Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
Black will be taking part in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match qualifier next week where he'll face Austin Theory and looks like the favorite to win on paper. Following that, he could win the MITB briefcase come May which would lay the breadcrumbs for a potential fight later this year.
#4 Andrade
Just this week on RAW, we saw Andrade and Drew McIntyre revisit the history between the two men. It was El Idolo who eventually took the NXT Championship off the Scottish Psychopath before he moved to the main roster.
WWE can rekindle this personal rivalry on the Red brand as well and with Zelina Vega acting as the spokesperson for Andrade, one can imagine the interesting back-and-forths that would be in store for fans worldwide.
Remember, McIntyre's only loss on NXT came at the hands of Andrade. In the meantime, Andrade stands a chance to become only the third Superstar to hold both the NXT title and the WWE title, a feat achieved only by Drew and Seth Rollins so far. So either man has some score to settle, which bodes well for an all-out affair. And if their match at TakeOver: WarGames is anything to go by, the WWE Universe will be in for another scintillating match.
#3 Kevin Owens
Following a year of standing up to miscreants in the form of first Shane McMahon and then Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens is probably the most over babyface on RAW right now. The Prizefighter is great both on the mic and in the ring. Thus, it only makes sense that he gets a shot at the WWE Championship.
As a matter of fact, many fans expected KO to be Drew McIntyre's first challenger but he could always follow up once the Scottish Psychopath is done with Rollins. Yes, I know that Owens is currently a face and seldom does the WWE book two faces against each other. However, given just how good KO is at transitioning between personas, perhaps he could turn heel for his feud with McIntyre and turn face again – if need be – once the storyline concludes.
There's no doubt that this battle of brain vs. brawn will give us some incredible spots, much like KO jumping from the WrestleMania logo on the announce table during the Showcase of Immortals. Rest assured, the feud would only enhance the reputation of both competitors, irrespective of who comes out on top.
#2 Randy Orton
If there's one thing that Randy Orton has been particularly great at in the last few years, it's making his opponent look solid. People might consider him to be washed but Orton made Edge look really great in the Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania. He also cut probably his best promo ever when he confronted Beth Phoenix in the build-up to the aforementioned encounter.
The Apex Predator's arc with Edge has now come to a close and the former should not be sitting out for much longer. The thing is, when you are a heel as sinister as Orton among your ranks, and you have a face who you want the fans to rally behind, you put them in a storyline together.
McIntyre is a brilliant competitor no doubt and has a lot of momentum going for him. But does he still have the entire backing of the WWE Universe as a world champion? Even if there are any doubts, he will be able to quash them if he overcomes Randy Orton.
Moreover, we know that the Scottish Psychopath can take down opponents of any size. But is he good enough to fend off shrewd competitors like The Viper who could hit him with an RKO outta nowhere? Only time will tell.
#1 AJ Styles
Just like Randy Orton, AJ Styles too can make any opponent look really good. Yes, The Phenomenal One did suffer a huge loss at the hands of The Undertaker in the Boneyard Match. But if there's one thing we know about Styles, it's that he keeps coming back for more.
Now, Styles might not look like a huge threat to Drew McIntyre but bring The Good Brothers into the fray and the equation just changes. Additionally, AJ is simply too impeccable at getting the audience invested into a feud with his mic work. Just look at his feud with The Deadman – he made it so personal that it drew the ire of fans themselves, let alone The Undertaker.
Styles does not need to prove anything in the world of pro wrestling and has been happy putting over opponents in the last couple of years. He's also made his intentions of exiting the company in the near future very clear. So this could be his final run in the WWE where he could take a monumental loss to finally ebb away into oblivion while establishing McIntyre as a bonafide WWE Champion at the same time.
