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Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 was the culmination of an incredible journey. A journey that saw Drew McIntyre, who was once handpicked for a top spot scratch and claw his way to the top of the mountain.
There's no denying that he was the right man in the right place and the right time. However, there was a possibility that it never would have happened had it been for one man - former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.
Cain Velasquez made his WWE debut on the SmackDown on FOX premiere in October 2019. he signed a big-money contract, only to lose his debut match to Brock Lesnar in 2 minutes.
Given the nature of the contract he signed, the plan was for him to be involved in a major storyline at WrestleMania 36. The idea was supposedly to have him run back his match against Brock Lesnar, but an injury and various circumstances meant that he wouldn't be appearing at the grandest stage of them all.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that had it not been for Velasquez's storyline being abandoned, Drew McIntyre may never have gotten that spot:
"There was a plan for a storyline going into WrestleMania that has been completely abandoned. Drew McIntyre was chosen instead. Honestly, I'm not sure Drew McIntyre would have been chosen in that place if Cain Velasquez had been there."
Is Drew McIntyre the biggest beneficiary of the situation?
While McIntyre would undoubtedly have preferred different circumstances for his first World Championship win, he turned out to be the biggest beneficiary of the entire situation. In hindsight, McIntyre was always the right superstar to go with and we're glad that WWE decided to pull the trigger on him when they did. Nobody deserved it more.
