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2020 has been the year of Drew McIntyre in WWE. After being a victim of poor booking for years, McIntyre finally got his breakthrough moment.
His year started out great, as he shocked the world by winning the Royal Rumble match. Since then, McIntyre has been unstoppable, conquering Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to become the first-ever British WWE Champion on the way.
He didn't stop there, as he went on to successfully defend his title against the likes of Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton. His title reign has been fairly successful, helping him emerge as one of the best babyface champions in recent years.
With the upcoming WWE Draft in mind, WWE could try to shake things up a little. McIntyre has been champion for 180+ days and could soon need some fresh feuds to stay relevant.
SmackDown would be the best place for The Scottish Psychopath to find new opponents. The Blue Brand has plenty of Superstars who would love to take the title off McIntyre's waist.
So without further ado, let's take a look at five SmackDown Superstars from the who could battle Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
#5 Sheamus battles Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are no strangers to each other. Having competed on the independent circuit before, McIntyre and Sheamus share a long history together.
Over the years, the two Superstars have developed a brotherly relationship. McIntyre also recently revealed in an interview that the Celtic Warrior was the best man at his wedding:
"Send Sheamus over to RAW. We've known each other since I was 19, he was about 43. We came up together. We got signed together. The night he won the WWE Championship, I won the Intercontinental Championship. Obviously his career took off, mine kind of went on the down slope and I had to take the long way around. And he's looking to prove himself again right now. He's one of the most physical Superstars in the world, as am I. And I think we'd have, you know, a heck of a feud with a real good back story. He was the best man at my wedding. We have that real relationship and plenty of things to tell that haven't been on television."
This brotherly friendship between the two Superstars could easily lay the foundation for an intense future rivalry. The WWE Universe has witnessed many such moments, where best friends turn out to be even better enemies. McIntyre has also insisted on facing Sheamus one last time, before the latter hangs up his boots for good.
This rivalry has potential to be a great World Championship feud on SmackDown. Both Superstars seem to be in the best shape of their lives and could easily produce one of the most physical encounters in the company's history.
#4 Big E takes on the WWE Champion
Big E is one of the most talented and charismatic Superstars on the current roster. He has won many Tag Team Championships while being a part of the The New Day. But it has always looked like Big E is being held back by the WWE.
He has rarely got any chances to shine as a singles competitor, consistently being relegated to the tag team division. However, WWE is finally listening to the fans, as Big E starts climbing up the ranks on SmackDown.
Big E is seen as a future World Championship contender. He has been a part of some great feuds with The Miz and Sheamus recently. It's about time that he's competing for the company's top prize.
However, it won't be easy for Big E to take out someone like Drew McIntyre. The Scotsman has proven from time to time why he deserves to be champion by conquering the likes of Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins. Big E also wouldn't be an easy contest for McIntyre, though.
Big E vs. Drew McIntyre has the potential to be one of the most entertaining bouts in recent history. The epic collision of Big E's strength and McIntyre's intensity would bring the WWE Universe on the edge of their seats.
#3 Aleister Black clashes with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in a battle for the ages
Aleister Black has not been having the best of times on Monday Night RAW as of late. Ever since coming to the WWE main roster, Black has been involved in some meaningless feuds, which has badly affected his character.
He recently turned heel and entered a feud with Kevin Owens. But with Owens now seemingly entering into a feud with Bray Wyatt, Black will need to search for new opponents.
SmackDown could provide Black with an opportunity to reinvigorate his career. He could run through the entire roster to establish himself as a dominant heel. His dominance could even earn a World title shot against Drew McIntyre. If Black and McIntyre are both moving to Smackdown, this clash needs to happen.
The two Superstars competed against each other on the independent circuit, but their paths haven't crossed yet in WWE. McIntyre vs. Black is certainly best for business, as it could help in elevating the career of The Dutch destroyer.
The WWE Universe would like this match to happen as soon as possible, so they can finally witness the epic battle between The Black Mass and The Claymore.
#2 Jeff Hardy challenges Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship
Jeff Hardy is having a very eventful 2020 in WWE.
Since returning from his injury, Hardy has become a part of many compelling feuds on SmackDown. He entered a feud with AJ Styles and unexpectedly dethroned him to capture his fifth WWE Intercontinental Championship. With victories over Sheamus, Corbin, and Styles, Hardy has emerged as one of the top Superstars on Friday nights.
Currently, Jeff is in a feud with Sami Zayn, who defeated him to become the new Intercontinental Champion at Clash of Champions. But after his feud with Zayn is over, Hardy will be in search of a new opponent. There can't be a better test for The Charismatic Enigma than the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre.
The WWE Universe has been clamoring for Jeff to have one last run with the World title. If Drew McIntyre gets drafted to SmackDown, we may see him get his chance. Drew and Jeff have faced each other in TNA, now IMPACT Wrestling, but are yet to face each other in WWE.
This rivalry has the potential to be one of the best face vs. face feuds in the history of WWE. Jeff Hardy would be the perfect underdog against a dominant champion like Drew McIntyre. The match could easily be blockbuster and it wouldn't even be surprising if WWE decided to put the title on the former.
#1 AJ Styles faces Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship
AJ Styles is undoubtedly one of the top Superstars on Friday Night Smackdown. After spending over a year on Monday nights, Styles returned to the house that he built. He was the part of the Triple Threat Ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions, but failed to regain the gold.
There's a high possibility of Styles facing Drew McIntyre for the WWE title if the latter gets drafted to the blue brand. Styles is already a two-time WWE Champion, and his second reign saw him hold the title for 371 days. However, it has been a long time since we have seen the Phenomenal One in the World title picture.
Styles would certainly like to enter the World title picture once again by challenging McIntyre. A face McIntyre vs. heel AJ Styles feud has money written all over it. The Scotsman has previously expressed his desire to face Styles on several occasions too. During an interview with WrestleTalk, Mcintyre stated the following:
" I don't know what the deal is with him and I. We're always like ships in the night, we keep missing each other. Be it, I'm away from WWE, I got to Impact Wrestling, he's going going, we're both doing independent shows, it can't quite work out or he's on or I'm off, or he's off. He comes back to WWE. I come back to WWE. We're both on RAW and we're both bad guys but finally, I'm a good guy and he's a bad guy. It's going to happen, he disappears to SmackDown. So I guess we'll have to wait for that match still."
Styles has also admitted that he would love to take on the Scottish Psychopath in a one-on-one match. A singles feud between Styles and McIntyre is certainly best for business and could easily headline any of the four big pay-per-views of the year.
