How Drew McIntyre overcame the odds to rise to the top of WWE

On 12 June 2014, Drew McIntyre's wrestling career was in tatters when he was released from his contract with WWE after spending seven years with the company. I wonder if that moment was going through his head after he defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship for the first time.

After making his wrestling debut in 2003 with British Championship Wrestling, McIntyre started making a name for himself in the industry with a series of impressive performances on the independent circuit, with the highlight becoming Insane Championship Wrestling's inaugural World Heavyweight Champion.

After signing with WWE in late 2007, he made a couple of brief appearances on SmackDown and RAW before being moved to the company's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). McIntyre thrived, winning two Tag Team titles alongside Stu Sanders as well as winning FCW's Heavyweight Championship.

Following this success, he was moved back to the main roster and in December 2009, he would win the first major championship of his career, defeating John Morrison to become Intercontinental Champion.

McIntyre is a one time Intercontinental Champion

However that was as good as it got for McIntyre in his first spell. The breakdown of his first marriage and the death of his mother in 2012 were both contributing factors to his swift decline.

In an interview with Sport's Illustrated, he acknowledged that time away from the WWE made him realise that he hadn't been dedicated enough to his craft.

“Things were bad even before I left WWE,” said McIntyre. “I was going out and partying too often, and I was not dedicating myself to my work. By that point, I’d started working harder, but it wasn’t enough."

However, him returning to the indie circuit, alongwith his new relationship with current wife Kaitlyn Frohnapfel helped Mcintyre change the tides.

In the same interview he points to the calming influence of his new partner as the reason for today's successes.

“She made me realize I still wasn’t where I needed to be,” said McIntyre. “I cut out all the negatives, and I started changing my body. All of a sudden, I was flooded with all these opportunities. Months after that, I was speaking with WWE.”

In his time away from the biggest company in wrestling, McIntyre once again started to remind people of the talent that he had and as to why he was anointed 'The Chosen One'. This eventually saw him sign for TNA, where he would become World Heavyweight Champion. He would hold the belt for 89 days before losing it to Bobby Lashley. He would also win the Impact Grand Championship.

By this time, McIntyre's destiny was once again in his own hands and he re-signed with WWE in April 2017, and later that year go on to win the NXT Championship for the first time.

McIntyre won the NXT Championship during his second spell with WWE

His career renaissance was complete when he returned to the main roster in April 2018, quickly forming an alliance with Dolph Ziggler and enjoying a reign as Tag Team champion.

Ziggler and McIntyre during their reign as tag team champions

However it was as a singles competitor where McIntyre wanted to make a big impact, and after winning the Royal Rumble in 2020, he challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania.

It was a brave call, but one that would pay off for McIntyre, as he overcame the challenge of arguably the most dominant Superstar in the history of WWE to win his first ever WWE World title.

McIntyre will be aiming for a long reign as WWE champion

With no crowd due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it wouldn't have been the ideal way he wanted to achieve his long held dream, but when he looks back on it in years to come, I don't think he'll mind too much. His victory is a message to every wrestler who has endured setbacks. McIntyre has proved that you can come back from the brink and climb to the top of the mountain.