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From being dubbed as 'The Chosen One' early on his career to winning his first WWE Championship in 2020, Drew McIntyre's WWE career has had its shares of ups and downs. The Scottish Psychopath has been one of the standout performers in the company since the turn of the year. Whether it is promos or high-profile matches, the WWE Champion has delivered every time he has stepped foot inside the squared circle.
Just a year back, Drew McIntyre's career was stuck in a loop as he was playing second fiddle to Shane McMahon in his feud against Roman Reigns. But the turnaround that he has had over the past year and a half has been quite amazing. The company putting their faith behind the Scot has been fully justified as Drew McIntyre has had one of the best WWE Championship reigns in recent memory. With high-profile wins against the likes of Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Seth Rollins, and Bobby Lashley, McIntyre has solidified his position as the top dog on Monday Nights.
Drew McIntyre is currently scheduled to go up against his former tag team partner, Dolph Ziggler, at Extreme Rules. There is very little in terms of the build-up to this match, but given McIntyre's recent track record and Ziggler's in-ring acumen, we expect these two to put on a belter of a match. McIntyre is heavy-favorite heading into this match.
Here are five potential opponents for Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam 2020, provided he gets past Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules :
#5 Brock Lesnar
Let's start the list with the most obvious choice. Following his loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36, Brock Lesnar has been completely MIA from WWE programming. As of this writing, there is no clarity on when The Beast Incarnate might return to in-ring action. Since returning to the company in 2012, one of the biggest fan criticisms against Lesnar has been his limited appearances. Lesnar has been off TV for long stretches, even while he was World Champion.
The first meeting between Lesnar and McIntyre was a pretty short affair with the match lasting about five minutes. Given the kind of build-up, one would've expected to see two behemoths to go at it longer than did at WrestleMania 36. The lack of crowd didn't help matters either as the duo hit their big power moves to an eerie silence.
Brock Lesnar is someone who generates unprecedented buzz every time he steps foot inside the squared circle. Whether you love him or hate him, one thing that you can't deny is the fact that The Beast Incarnate is one of the most skilled performers in the business today. His in-ring IQ and selling ability is second to none in the company.
Lesnar is someone who doesn't care about the consequences and will go to any extent to get what he wants. Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre II is something that fans wouldn't mind seeing. Given what we've seen of them together so far, we expect to see fireworks once these two giants butt heads once again.
#4 Kevin Owens
One of the biggest moments of WrestleMania 36 was Kevin Owens jumping off the 'Mania logo to deliver an elbow drop to Seth Rollins. Owens broke Rollins' near-perfect WrestleMania record by defeating the Monday Night Messiah. But Owens' antics cost him dearly as he injured his ankle during the match, which would keep him out of action for over a month.
Owens would return for a few weeks before disappearing once again. The Prizefighter returned this week on RAW as he hosted 'The Kevin Owens Show ' and would team up with Rey Mysterio to take on the team of Murphy and Seth Rollins.
The former Universal Champion was one of the heavy favorites to win the Men's Royal Rumble match. But, despite his big win at WrestleMania 36, Kevin Owens hasn't been featured as prominently as fans would have wanted him to.
Kevin Owens is someone who has had a storied history with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre and Owens' path crossed last summer when The Prizefighter butted heads with Shane McMahon. As one of McMahon's lackeys, Drew McIntyre would often bump into Owens and vice versa. Owens even defeated The Scottish Psychopath in a highly-entertaining bout on an episode of SmackDown last year.
Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre have incredible chemistry inside the ring. Fans have been wanting to see Owens challenge for a World Title for quite some time now. The Prizefighter is one of the most dynamic performers in the company today and is someone who can put on a great match with almost anyone in the company. We expect to see fireworks once Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre collide inside the squared circle.
#3 Andrade
The former United States Champion has had a rough 2020. After ending 2019 with a bang by winning the United States Championship at Madison Square Garden, Andrade suffered a huge setback at the start of the year as he was suspended for 30-days for a wellness policy violation. He was scheduled to have a RAW Tag Team Championship (with his partner Angel Garza) against The Street Profits but was replaced at the last minute with Austin Theory.
Despite the series of setbacks, Andrade has been a constant feature on Monday Nights for the past few months. Some of the most prominent names in the business, like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ric Flair, have praised the Mexican sensation for his impeccable in-ring acumen.
He lost the United States Championship to Apollo on an episode of RAW following Money in the Bank. The writing was on the wall as Andrade's title reign was getting a bit stale. Andrade alongside Angel Garza and Zelina Vega has become a force to reckon with on Monday Nights.
The Mexican Superstar has a storied history with Drew McIntyre dating back to their time at NXT. It was Andrade who ended Drew McIntyre's reign as NXT Champion at Takeover: WarGames in 2017. Andrade has everything it takes to be the next big thing, all he needs is a high-profile match against a credible opponent -- somebody like Drew McIntyre.
A WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam might be the perfect way for El Idolo to kickstart his journey to the main-event scene.
#2 Aleister Black
One of the most dominant superstars in the company today, Aleister Black's booking has been quite confusing, to say the least. While it is glaringly obvious that the company intends on protecting his aura and mystique at any cost, them not putting him in the world title picture is quite baffling. Having already defeated the likes of AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Murphy, and Andrade, Black is more than deserving of a world title opportunity. Much like Owens, Black was one of the heavy favorites to win this year Men's Royal Rumble match.
Aleister Black has only been pinned once in 2020 and that too by nefarious means. This alone should warrant a shot at Drew McIntyre and the WWE Championship. Two of the most renowned European stars in the company today, Drew McIntyre and Black's paths have never crossed in WWE.
Fans have been wanting to see the duo go up against one another for quite some time. Black and McIntyre have two very distinctive styles. While Drew McIntyre is essentially a brawler who relies on big power moves, Black's style draws inspiration from various forms of martial arts. It will be interesting to see how well these two styles mesh inside the ring.
#1 Randy Orton
Every good story needs a great hero and a great villain. If Drew McIntyre is the biggest hero on Monday Nights, the moniker of the Brand's most nefarious villain has to go to The Viper, Randy Orton. The Apex Predator has been on roll through 2020 and is undoubtedly the best heel in the business once. From his promos to his stellar in-ring work, the third-generation Superstar hasn't missed a step throughout the year.
While his match against Edge at WrestleMania 36 came under a lot of criticism, The Viper more than made up for it by having one of the best matches of the year against The Rated-R Superstar at Backlash. After putting down Edge and his best friend, Christian, Orton has currently set his sights on another legend, The Big Show.
While some might argue against it, given The Viper's track record of delivering damp squibs at SummerSlam, we are here to remind you that it is the best version of Randy Orton. Many believe that The Viper is at the prime of his career at the moment.
Drew McIntyre has expressed his desire to face off against The Apex Predator. Drew McIntyre dubbed Orton as the 'Joker to his Batman', someone who can help him in his solidify his position as a top dog in WWE.
It's almost been a year since Orton challenged for a World Title. Given the dearth of top heels on RAW, Orton seems to be an obvious choice. A win over Drew McIntyre will be the perfect way for Orton to cap off what has been one of the best heel runs in recent memory.
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