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Drew McIntyre has been on fire ever since returning to the WWE in 2017. The man ran through the NXT roster and captured the NXT Championship, before being promoted to the main roster once again – revealing himself as Dolph Ziggler's tag team partner on the April 16th, 2018 episode of Monday Night Raw.
It's no secret that the WWE has big plans for McIntrye, and that over the past several months, he has been booked to look strong in whatever angle or storyline he participates in. Of course, none of us have forgotten the horrifying beating he gave WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle on the November 5th, 2018 episode of Raw.
I'd spoken in detail about the reasons why McIntyre 'squashed' Kurt Angle in the aforementioned match, however, over the past few days, I've been receiving quite a few questions regarding the WWE's future plans for "The Scottish Psychopath".
Honestly speaking, although the way McIntyre has been booked on Raw is decent, the Raw brand has been making a few strategic errors with his character's momentum over the past few days. This could end up hurting not only McIntyre's on-screen character but also the top-tier of the WWE food chain!
Today, we examine a few huge (somewhat overlooked!) mistakes WWE's Raw brand is making with Drew McIntyre, as well as how the company can correct these mistakes.
(Kindly note: The first point of this discussion may enrage a lot of Raw fans, and could perhaps bring a smile on the faces of SmackDown loyalists!)
#5 Rushing every Drew McIntyre feud, unlike the steady progress in feuds/storylines WWE does on SmackDown Live
Firstly, I'd like to clarify that I'm not a fan who picks sides between Team Raw and Team SmackDown. I love every brand in the WWE Universe, including NXT, 205 Live, as well as the plethora of WWE Network shows – which may not be surprising for any lifelong WWE fan.
However, in Drew McIntyre's case, I must confess that if he was on the SmackDown brand instead of Raw, the man would now be in the midst of a decent storyline – a storyline which makes sense! Let's face it, the Raw storylines featuring McIntyre make zero sense because they lead us nowhere!
McIntyre has served as Dolph Ziggler's tag team partner for too long now, and if the WWE doesn't book either of them in meaningful storylines right now, the fans will likely lose interest in seeing McIntyre as a legit top star.
#4 Not booking McIntyre in a match for WWE Universal Championship
As I discussed on the previous page, if Drew McIntyre was on SmackDown Live, he would have already worked in multiple meaningful storylines. However, the hulking Superstar is currently on Raw, where the top of the food chain is quite messed up, to say the least!
As much as I appreciate Paul Heyman, and respect the otherworldly amateur wrestling skills of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar; I would be lying if I said that I want to see him as our WWE Universal Champion...The vast majority of us are sick and tired of seeing The Beast hold the Universal Title hostage and disappear for several weeks at a time.
That said, the WWE has one of the most skilled performers in the business today – Drew McIntyre – who looks even more impressive than Lesnar. McIntyre is a larger-than-life character and can put up a more exciting match than Lesnar, because of his diverse move-set. I'm absolutely shocked by the fact that the WWE still hasn't booked McIntyre in a Universal Title feud with Lesnar!
Up next, we look at another mistake and a possible solution to McIntyre's ongoing problems on RAW.
#3 Not giving Drew McIntyre enough promo time on Monday Night Raw
The WWE has done a great job by having one of the top stars in the industry today, Ronda Rousey, come out and cut lengthy promos on a weekly basis on Monday Night RAW.
Well, while Rousey obviously tries her best while delivering her promos, her trash talk mostly sounds a bit too scripted and forced. However, I'm not really concerned about that here...The reason I brought up the lengthy promo time given to Rousey, is that most other top Superstars have been missing out on the opportunity to cut promos of their own over the past few weeks on RAW.
One of the biggest victims of this has been Drew McIntyre! Let's face it, the WWE barely gives him any time to speak his mind in front of the fans, and whenever he does get the chance to speak, it only lasts for a minute or two. I'd like to emphasize that this may be one of the biggest mistakes WWE is making with his on-screen character right now.
However, the WWE could solve this problem if they give McIntyre some more time and experience in the promo department. They have to give him more time to cut lengthy promos, rather than giving huge chunks of Monday Night RAW airtime to Rousey.
#2 Constantly giving main event spots to Strowman rather than McIntyre
I'd like to note that I am indeed a huge fan of "The Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman. Most professional wrestling fans, as well as experts, have time and again noted that he has the look, size as well as charisma to be one of the top Superstars for the next 5-10 years in the WWE.
However, I'd like to use an example from the Attitude Era here: Back when the WWE was at war with WCW, both companies had several talents who were considered to be "top stars" – wrestlers such as The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and The Undertaker in WWE; while performers such as Goldberg, Sting, Booker T and Scott Steiner reigned supreme in WCW.
Back then, both WWE and WCW always adopted a balanced approach when it came to booking its top talent. In simple words, they would give The Rock the top spot for a few weeks, then Austin would be king, and then The Undertaker would be the top star again.
That is exactly what the WWE needs to do right now with Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre! However, the WWE is making yet another mistake by booking Strowman in all the biggest main event spots, while McIntyre is just booked as a side act who attacks The Monster with the help of Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley.
#1 Not giving Drew McIntyre any singles title since main roster comeback
During his first run with the WWE which lasted from 2007 until his departure from the promotion in 2014, Drew McIntyre won the Intercontinental Championship on one occasion, besides also capturing Tag Team Titles alongside Cody Rhodes.
After wrestling all over the world in the indie circuit, McIntyre debuted on WWE's NXT brand in 2017 and captured the NXT Championship there. He then got promoted to Raw this April, and since then, McIntyre has only won the Raw Tag Team Championships on one occasion alongside Dolph Ziggler. It ought to be noted that McIntyre is yet to win a major title as a singles competitor on the main roster after having returned to Raw!
Let that sink in.
It's truly unfathomable why the WWE refuses to book McIntyre with the Intercontinental Title or the Universal Championship on RAW. As much as I love the world sports-entertainment which the WWE brings to us, I'd be lying if I don't say that WWE is playing with fire right now.
They have one of the most sought-after stars in professional wrestling today, the 6'5", 265-pound behemoth of a man, Drew McIntyre, and the RAW brand seems to be wasting away his star-power with meaningless feuds as well as the lack of a legitimate singles title reign. I truly believe that the WWE's best bet is to book McIntyre in a feud with Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title.
The lead-up to the Royal Rumble PPV will be an extremely interesting time for McIntyre in particular. The man's fortunes could change forever if the WWE continues to overlook his charisma, and refuses to give him a run with the IC or Universal Title...Here's hoping the company gives him an IC or Universal Title shot at the earliest.
Would you like to see Drew McIntyre as the Intercontinental or Universal Champion? Please give us your views in the comments section below!
