The next challenger to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will be Randy Orton and it’s the first match to be added to the card of the upcoming WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view event.
During Monday’s episode of RAW from Orlando, Florida on the USA Network, WWE held three separate singles matches with the winners of those bouts advancing to a Triple Threat Match later in the show.
The singles matches were Keith Lee vs. Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton, and Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins. The winners of these bouts were Lee, Orton, and Rollins.
In the main event, the three stars battled it out with Orton coming out on top. Because Orton was victorious, he earned the right to challenge McIntyre for the WWE Title.
McIntyre didn’t have a match booked at this past Sunday’s Payback pay-per-view event due to an injury storyline thanks to Orton hitting him with a punt kick to the head last week on Raw. At this same show, the former WWE Champion put over the ex-NXT Champion in a clean finish.
WWE presents the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 27, 2020.
Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton was built as one of the top matches on the SummerSlam card and delivered in the main event.
Orton challenged and wasn’t successful in his attempt to become WWE Champion as McIntyre was able to retain the title at the pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida.
This was a typical big title match with a slow start and the heel dominating early with the babyface battling back before going back and forth. Orton was slightly bleeding from his forehead.
The finish featured McIntyre going for the big boot, but Orton blocked it then he went for an RKO, but McIntyre rolled him up for the win.
WWE set up this feud back on the July 27th episode of Monday Night RAW when Orton did a promo where he challenged McIntyre.
He said that the accomplishments between himself and McIntyre are much different. Orton stated at the end of the promo that McIntyre has what he wants and vowed to take it from him.
WWE will continue this feud heading into the Payback pay-per-view event on August 28, 2020.
His WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 marked the culmination of a long journey for Drew McIntyre who redeemed himself with years of hard work and persistence.
However, the happiness of his title win triumphed the Scottish Psychopath’s business sense for a moment after his big win and the former NXT Champion broke the WWE rule of not looking at the camera.
McIntyre talked about the unscripted moment during his recent interview with BBC.com and the WWE Champion said that he couldn’t help himself because it was the only way he could connect with the audience:
“It was the last scene of Wrestlemania and I needed to do something. I crawled to the camera and broke the law of wrestling – you’re not supposed to look in the camera, don’t stare down the screen.
I couldn’t help myself because it was the only way I could connect with the audience at home and I just thanked them for supporting me on my journey to the top and thanked them for choosing WWE in these difficult times.” said Drew McIntyre. “Millions of people tuned in as an escape.”
McIntyre also talked about being mentored by The Undertaker during his early days. Drew revealed that he was told to listen to nobody except the Dead Man and expressed the desire to face the legend before he retires:
“I was told to listen to nobody except The Undertaker, so I would harass him all the time for advice. Sometimes it sounded like he was talking in riddles because he spoke at such an advanced level. An absolute legend. I think he has one more match left in him and it has to be with Drew McIntyre.”
The WWE Champion is currently set to defend his title against Randy Orton in a singles match at tonight’s SummerSlam PPV. We will be providing coverage of the special event starting with the SummerSlam Pre-Show at 5 PM EST.
The Next WWE draft is on the horizon. Reports suggest that the company has shortlisted two dates in October for the same and Drew McIntyre has some interesting picks he would like to see change brands during the event.
The WWE Champion recently had an interview with Comicbook.com where he talked about things like his first stint with WWE, his ongoing rivalry with Randy Orton and more.
When asked which stars he would like to join the Raw brand if another WWE draft was to be held, McIntyre took the name of the current Universal Champion Braun Strowman:
“There’s a few guys, Like, Cesaro is on my list of never had a match ever. I’d love to have a big match with him. Braun Strowman and I have never had a big, significant singles match. I think that could be interesting.”
Drew McIntyre also took the name of Sheamus mentioning how they have a long history together and the former NXT Champion described his relationship with the Celtic Warrior as a “big brother, little brother relationship.”
Apart from this, The Scottish Psychopath was asked about his dream matches from the past and he took the name of people like Shawn Michaels and Triple H. You can check out his full interview at this link.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has addressed RAW’s declining viewership and ratings in a recent interview with TVInsider.
McIntyre shared how the numbers don’t negatively affect him. He talked about how he’s personally been through so many ups and downs during his career, highlighting how there had been some real low points. Despite those troubles, he doesn’t “let it get to me or distract me from the goal at home.”
He noted how previous champions have allowed ratings to get to them. When they did, he shared how they “suffered in their personal life as a result and lashed out on social media. I don’t allow it to get to me from that standpoint.”
McIntyre stressed how the WWE Universe is such a core component to their shows and that, during the coronavirus pandemic, WWE is “giving it all we can.” He added how everyone is “learning through this period.”
Drew McIntyre On Audience Investment & Character Depth
Drew McIntyre argued that the audience that has stuck with the show is getting to learn about their characters on a “deeper level.” McIntyre believes that this deeper investment and character understanding will boost viewership when WWE can finally permit fans once again.
“I think we will reach new heights to be honest because we’re going to have so many compelling characters. A lot of superstars are maximizing their opportunity in this environment.”
McIntyre continued, “Right now you can really develop your character on a deeper level through this unique lens. I think when we do get back in the arenas they will attract the attention of fans. I hear what is going on. I see what’s going on social media. Things are going well there, but they can also be better. Once we get back to normal, I think we’ll reach new heights as a company.”
Drew McIntyre is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. The event takes place on August 23.
Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross got fans talking when they planted the seeds for a potential match down the road.
The WWE Champion started it all when he responded to a fan on his official Twitter account who asked him to name one NXT superstar that he hopes to work with.
This led to him naming Kross by writing, “@Lady_Scarlett13 & @WWEKarrionKross have my full attention #DrewAndA.”
The NXT star took to Instagram where he shared a photo of McIntyre’s tweet and told fans to never miss an episode because anything can happen in NXT.
“Anything can happen in the #WWE. And it’s all the more reason why you should never miss an episode no matter what brand it is. Think about the future.”
This match may not have to wait as WWE finds itself in two interesting situations.
First up is the most alarming one which is how Monday Night RAW has seen its viewership numbers fall at a scary rate and they’ve been hitting new records low over the last few months while in the COVID-19 era. Thus, WWE could always have Kross appear on RAW for any reason.
The second situation is the war between NXT and AEW Dynamite. WWE has had main roster stars appear on NXT in the past as a way to boost viewership.
As expected, WWE went forward with the initial angle to kick off the feud between Randy Orton and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
WWE had been hyping that Orton would be opening the show to “announce his next target.” Orton did a promo in the first segment by talking about how he has the desire to become WWE Champion again. He said that the accomplishments between himself and McIntyre are much different.
Orton brought up McIntyre’s background from being the Chosen One to getting fired and hustling his way back to the company to the point where he won the WWE Title by beating Brock Lesnar.
Orton challenged McIntyre to a WWE Title match at SummerSlam. He said that McIntyre has what he wants and vowed to take it from him.
Later in the show, McIntyre was booked to take on Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match, which had been originally announced with the WWE Title on the line but later changed. This was a rematch from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that saw McIntyre successfully retain the WWE Title.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is doing an excellent job leading the company during the COVID-19 era, according to Mick Foley.
Foley tweeted praise for McIntyre this week and commented on his championship run during these unprecedented times for the pro wrestling industry.
“@WWE Champion @DMcIntyreWWE is doing an excellent job holding down the fort during unprecedented tough times. I hope he gets to address live crowds during his title reign, to get the #RoadWarriorPop he deserves. #RAW,” Foley wrote.
Natalya responded to Foley’s tweet and agreed with the WWE Hall of Famer.
McIntyre won the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 in April, a month into the coronavirus pandemic and the closed-set WWE TV tapings. He is rumored to defend the championship against Randy Orton at SummerSlam next month, and could get to represent the company in front of fans if WWE is able to have regular crowds in the fall, as has been rumored.
The unique clash between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler is in the books.
McIntyre was able to successfully retain the WWE Championship in his latest title defense at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday night in Orlando, Florida.
After weeks of build-up to what the exact stipulation would be, it turns out that it was an Extreme Rules Match only for Ziggler. Thus, it saw Ziggler use any weapon he wanted while McIntyre tried to fight him in an actual wrestling match.
One of the highlights of the match saw Ziggler hit an elbow drop off the top rope onto McIntyre through a table on the floor.
Ziggler brought the fight to the champion but in the end, it was McIntyre standing tall by hitting the Claymore Kick for the win.
This championship match was booked back on the June 22nd episode of RAW when Ziggler made a surprise appearance on the show where he revealed that due to the trade involving AJ Styles being moved to Friday Night SmackDown, RAW was able to select two SmackDown stars. It ended up being Ziggler and Robert Roode being moved as a result.
Ziggler had been hyping the stipulation as a first-ever type of match.
Drew McIntyre recently appeared on Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling and spoke about being the first British-born WWE Champion.
“Yeah, it felt incredible,” McIntyre said. “It was a dream of mine when I first came to America. I was just surprised that no Brit had ever won the title before especially the Bulldog. Regal was on a bit of a run and never quite pulled it off. Wade Barrett was on a run with the Nexus, I thought he’d do it and I’d have been happy for him but never pulled it off.”
“To be the first Brit just blew my mind,” he continued. “I really did take a moment sitting in the office here when I had the title, which I keep by my side at all times. Looking at it like ‘wow, that’s my life’s work.'”
“To see the world’s response was insane but to see the UK in particular, the way they reacted, mainstream media. I remember the BBC, the biggest media outlet in the UK, the special report that day, the two top headlines were Queen gives a speech and Drew McIntyre becomes first British Champion.”
It turns out that Drew McIntyre had a lot to do with the latest and final appearance for Heath Slater in WWE.
Slater, who was released by WWE in April, made a surprise appearance on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW to be part of the opening segment as Dolph Ziggler brought Slater out to do a promo with the WWE Champion.
Eventually, it led to McIntyre quickly beating Slater in a singles match. They made up after the match once McIntyre saved Slater.
While doing an interview with talkSPORT, McIntyre revealed that he called up Slater about doing another match in WWE before his non-compete expires.
“The moment at the end was very special and I was very much pushing for that idea to happen,” McIntyre started. “I think I saw something on the internet saying I was behind it and I’m thinking how are they getting this information?! But yeah, I played a big part in making it happen and to be honest, Heath was a little bit against it and I spoke to my wife right before the phone call I made to Heath to try and convince him to come onto the show for the segment.
McIntyre continued by noting how his wife told him to remember how he felt when he was released and not sure what was next for him. He noted that Slater appreciated the opportunity with WWE and has mentally he has moved on.
McIntyre continued, “[Heath Slater’s] ready for the next stage and he’s not sure about going backwards, so I made it clear to him like ‘trust me, this isn’t going to be like anything you’ve done.’”
McIntyre added that Slater has been working hard and people will get to see what he looks like now and it also advances their story so everybody won from that segment.
“We finally got him on board and got him on the show – he absolutely killed it, like I knew he would.”
The first match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules PPV.
During the opening segment of Monday’s episode of RAW, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre came out for an in-ring promo only to be interrupted by Dolph Ziggler.
This is where Ziggler revealed that due to the trade involving AJ Styles being moved to Friday Night SmackDown, RAW was able to select two SmackDown stars. It ended up being Ziggler and Robert Roode being moved to the flagship show of WWE.
Later in the promo, Ziggler brought up how he’s owed a title match, and McIntyre redeeming himself after being fired from the company a few years ago. Now, the former friends turned foes will face off in a match.
In this same segment, Ziggler challenged McIntyre for the WWE Championship, which McIntyre accepted on the spot.
As a result, they’ll wrestle at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday, July 19, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
Since moving to the SmackDown brand, Styles not only won the United States Title by beating Daniel Bryan in the tournament finals but also got into a new program.
He just lost to the debuting Matt Riddle on last week’s show and the expectation is that they’ll be feuding going forward.
The Royal Rumble 2020 event saw the start of Drew McIntyre’s journey to becoming the WWE Champion as the Scottish Psychopath won the battle royal at the event and earned the opportunity for a title match at WrestleMania 36.
The same event was also the start of a new road for Edge who made his in-ring return after 9 years of absence from active competition due to his neck injuries.
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda, The current WWE Champion discussed the Rated R Superstar’s return and McIntyre commented on the possibility of facing Edge in the future:
“You know Edge had this amazing career. I was thankful that I traveled the world with him. Learned a lot from him as a kid, but to see him back… of course the wheels started turning.
And I thought to myself, ‘Oh yea, we’re going to have that big match.'” said Drew McIntyre “And I’m absolutely ready for that big match now, you know, physically and mentally.”
During the interview, the former NXT Champion also shared a concern he had in the Royal Rumble mentioning how Edge was returning after such a long time.
So McIntyre was worried that the crowd may turn on him if they realise that Edge was not winning the match. Although thankfully, this didn’t turn out to be the case and fans were as thrilled to see him win the bout as everybody hoped.
Though it will be a while before we can actually hope to see a match between Drew McIntyre and Edge as the latter has suffered a serious injury during his match at Backlash. You can check out a report on the matter at this link.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has revealed which top Superstars who would like to face off against. Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, McIntyre opened up about his dream opponents. He also revealed how close he was to signing with New Japan Pro-Wrestling prior to a phone call from Triple H.
According to Dreew McIntyre, the Superstar at the top of his list is none other than “The Phenomenal One,” AJ Styles. He noted how the two of them are “ships in the night.” McIntyre explained how when he had left WWE and was heading towards Impact Wrestling, Styles was going in the opposite direction. When both men were competing on the independent circuit, “it never worked out.” Even when both McIntyre and Styles were with WWE and on the same brand, they were both heels at the time and so couldn’t necessarily feud. “I thought it was finally about to happen, and then he went to SmackDown. Eventually, it’s going to happen.”
Other names Drew McIntyre would love to feud with include Sheamus, Jinder Mahal, Kofi Kingston and Big E, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Randy Orton and Undisputed Era members Adam Cole and Roderick Strong.
Drew McIntyre’s New Japan Plans
While listing possible opponents, Drew McIntyre expressed his interest in wrestling against NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. He believes that his in-ring style would mesh perfectly with New Japan’s hard-hitting strong style. According to him, he was prepared to sign with NJPW in 2017. A phone call from Triple H changed those plans.
“Before Hunter called me to come back to WWE, the place I was going next was Japan,” Drew McIntyre stated. “My style would be perfect there and I could learn so much. The two opponents on the top of my list were Tanahashi and Okada. Ospreay would be great, as well. I wrestled him outside of WWE in a couple of my favorite matches. But still, I have to go with Tanahashi and Okada.”
Drew McIntyre successfully defended his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley this past Sunday at WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view. According to Louis Dangoor of WrestleTalk, their recent feud stemmed from McIntyre and Lashley’s interest in working together.
According to Dangoor, both Superstars enjoyed working together in the past based on their time in Impact Wrestling. This history gave them the confidence to reignite a feud in WWE. Both men believed they could put on a great match if only given the opportunity. Both Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley allegedly saw great value in their rivalry and felt it would help develop their characters.
Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, And Paul Heyman
Despite having been removed from his role as RAW Executive Director, Paul Heyman was allegedly instrumental in developing their feud. The “structure and pacing” of McIntyre and Lashley’s Backlash clash was reportedly heavily influenced by Heyman’s guidance and input.
It’s worth noting that the eventual finish involving Lana was done in accordance with what Vince McMahon wanted to see.
Her involvement ultimately cost Lashley his opportunity at Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship. This storyline would continue onto this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, with Bobby Lashley demanding a divorce from Lana.
The clash between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley is in the books.
As seen at Sunday’s (June 14, 2020) WWE Backlash pay-per-view event, McIntyre made his latest title defense.
As McIntyre was making his entrance, Lashley attacked him and locked in a full nelson choke until referees got him to let go of the choke. It was a solid back and forth match that was received well by fans on social media.
The finish saw Lashley be knocked into Lana, who was on the apron. This allowed McIntyre to hit the Claymore Kick for the win.
WWE paired Lashley with MVP with the former United States Champion being his manager back in May. During a recent episode of Monday Night RAW, Lashley and MVP observed McIntyre’s match against Baron Corbin.
Following the match, Mcintyre stated he wanted to face Lashley. WWE shortly confirmed the match booking.
It’s been reported that RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman wanted MVP to work as Bobby Lashley’s mouthpiece for a WWE Title run. The belief since McIntyre won the title was that he would have a long title reign.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will look to defend his title against Bobby Lashley at Backlash tonight. To help promote the match, McIntyre took part in an interview with TV Insider recently. During the discussion, he spoke about being champion during a global pandemic.
“It has been everything I imagined it to be within the confines of a pandemic,” McIntyre said. “I know my unique journey of all the ups and downs, being released before and finding myself as a person and performer. It prepared me to not just be one of the top guys but the top guy in the company who can handle any situation presented to him.”
“Nobody could predict [the coronavirus pandemic]. I’m the guy to move the company forward. Whenever I could step up like I did for British wrestling and independent wrestling, I’m all about it. The fact I got to step up for the company and the fans during a pandemic means the world to me.”
McIntyre also mentioned he doesn’t know much about the ins and outs of WWE’s creative process but commented on the recent changes.
“I don’t know the ins and outs regarding creative,” McIntyre said. “I get my creative and go from there.”
McIntyre also spoke about the possibility of Paul Heyman taking on new clients in storyline.
“Perhaps Paul Heyman has his eyes on other superstars he wants to bring to Drew McIntyre,” McIntyre said. “Either way, I always enjoy a little joke with Paul Heyman on the microphone. There is nobody better than him. It forces you to up your game. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing him soon enough.”
McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship after having earned a title shot by winning the 2020 Royal Rumble.
Depending on if you count Ted Dibiase and/or Antonio Inoki, McIntyre is the 52-54th person to hold the title. His is the 137th reign in the title’s lineage. McIntyre has successfully defended the title against the Big Show and Seth Rollins so far in his title reign.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is already looking ahead to SummerSlam.
McIntyre spoke with Inside The Ropes about his ideal opponent for SummerSlam, which is where named Randy Orton as that opponent.
McIntyre explained that right now they’re in the position where WWE is building a lot of people including himself and Bobby Lashley together as they’ll be able to help each other with MVP bringing each other up.
He thinks they’re both helping to establish each other as he considers himself as being on the rise and WWE Champion and what his legacy is going to be.
“But someone like an Orton is someone who can make me work up, really learn from, he’s obviously an established name, people tune in saying hey there’s Randy Orton. “
“If they’ve never seen me before or remember me from the past they’re gonna go ‘ooh who’s this guy?’ and he’s gonna help tell that story and really establish me as a top, top player. I think basically Randy Orton is my Joker.”
As of this writing, despite the coronavirus pandemic, WWE is still moving forward with plans to hold SummerSlam with fans in attendance in Boston come August. Whether that will happen as scheduled remains to be seen.
McIntyre makes his next title defense against Lashley at Sunday’s Backlash PPV event.
Drew McIntyre is one of the few guys in WWE who are allowed to cut their own promos and who don’t have to use the script given to him by the writers word to word.
The WWE Champion recently had an interview with SportsKeeda where he talked about a number of things and discussed the change from scripted to unscripted promos.
McIntyre explained that inevitably, it comes down to Vince McMahon being cool with everything and he revealed how Paul Heyman helped him get the approval:
“I mean, inevitably, it comes down to Vince McMahon being cool with everything and, if it’s working, he’s going to be cool with it.
I think, like, a Paul Heyman knows exactly who I am, what I’m capable of and what I was doing outside of the company, and was maybe looking for that opportunity to let me be myself, to allow Mr McMahon to see that.”
Drew McIntyre then recalled a promo he cut after an episode of Raw and the Executive Director of the show told him that it was the start of his transition from a TV character to just being himself.
Apart from this, Drew McIntyre talked about how he doesn’t use the script given to him by WWE writers and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
NXT Champion Adam Cole recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Undisputed Era ‘leader’ appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a plethora of topics across WWE programming.
One of the points discussed revolved around the WWE Championship match that took place this past Sunday at the Money In The Bank PPV. Drew McIntyre successfully retained his title against the ‘Monday Night Messiah’ Seth Rollins.
“So truth is I’ve been in the ring with both of these gentlemen” Adam Cole began, talking about Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. “The one thing I am is honest and both of those guys are two of the best that I’ve ever been into the ring with. So I was very excited to see this matchup.”
Adam Cole had previously had a bout against Rollins back in November. That match was part of the build around Survivor Series, which saw RAW vs SmackDown and for the very first time NXT got involved in the action.
You can check out that match below:
“I knew it was going to be physical, I knew it was going to be intense” Cole continued discussing the MITB match. “Drew McIntyre proved once again that no one is going to stop him on this run that he’s on. But, I think both guys showed a lot. I was really impressed.”
Do you think that Drew McIntyre is having a good run as WWE Champion? Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar AJ Styles was unsuccessful in his attempts to claim the Money In The Bank briefcase during this past Sunday’s pay-per-view. Despite having the briefcase in his hands, “The Phenomenal One” would fumble the prize, dropping it into the waiting hands of Otis.
Although he wasn’t able to secure the win, AJ Styles still has his eyes set on some of WWE’s top Superstars including Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Those two clashed at the event in a title match, with McIntyre successfully defending his belt.
Joining WWE show The Bump, Styles discussed both men and whom he’d prefer to face for the championship if it came to it. AJ Styles admitted he didn’t have a preference, praising both as “super athletic” and “super on fire” when it comes to their performance. “They have what it takes to get the job done. There’s no doubt about that, they obviously have one who’s the champion what has been the champion.”
AJ Styles On The “Biggest Threat” To Championship Contendenders
AJ Styles then singled out current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He highlighted how McIntyre is on a “different level” at this time.
Acknowledging his extensive experience in wrestling, Styles stated how McIntyre has also been wrestling for a long while. He believes that McIntyre is the “biggest threat to anyone who wants to go after the WWE Championship.”
AJ Styles recently referred to the events at Money In The Bank as a “travesty,” perhaps hinting that he intends to take his issues with Otis further on-screen.
It was reported earlier yesterday that WWE is looking to reintroduce the wild card rule and the company confirmed the same during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated the US Champion Andrade in a champion vs. champion non-title match on this week’s episode of the show.
After the bout, the Scottish superstar announced that a Brand-to-Brand invitation had been extended to SmackDown and the Blue Branded Show has accepted the challenge.
He then announced that SmackDown has chosen King Corbin as his opponent and the two will be battling in an inter-brand match at next week’s episode of the Red Branded Show.
Though this was not the only announced cross-brand appearance and the company also confirmed that the NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be making an appearance on SmackDown this week.
Charlotte has been a regular of NXT since winning the title at WrestleMania 36 but she is still considered a Raw star and the Queen continues to make appearances for the brand.
There is no word yet on what she will be doing at the show this Friday night but like Baron Corbin, it’s possible that she will be making this appearance for a match.
While not confirmed, it’s believed that WWE has decided to bring back this new version of the wild card rule due to the plummeting ratings. You can check out a more detailed report on the matter here.
Drew McIntyre is still the WWE Champion after a hard-fought battle in just his second title defense.
McIntyre, who has become the new top star on the RAW brand, successfully retained the championship against Seth Rollins at the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event on the WWE Network. This served as one of the top matches on the card.
It was a back and forth affair with Rollins working over the leg knee of the champion. In the end, McIntyre hit a Claymore Kick for the win. Post-match, McIntyre gave him a pep speech and they shook hands.
The program was started on the April 20th episode of RAW when McIntyre opened the show with an in-ring promo about Rollins’ attack. He issued a challenge for a WWE Championship Match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
Later in the show, Rollins cut an interesting promo about how he accepted McIntyre’s challenge. He also vowed that he would take the title from McIntyre. WWE made the match official on the April 27th episode of RAW by having a contract signing.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the next few weeks.
WWE Superstar The Big Show was the first man to face Drew McIntyre after he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. McIntyre defeated Big Show in a match that was featured on the post-WrestleMania Monday Night RAW. In an interview with Sportskeeda, the WWE Champion revealed what Big Show told him following their matchup.
McIntyre highlighted how Big Show had watched him grow up since he first came to America when he was 22 years old. He shared how Big Show was proud of what Drew McIntyre had accomplished during his first run with the company. He noted how he is proud of where he has managed to get to “as a performer and as a man.”
Drew McIntyre acknowledged how The Big Show wanted to “test” him in the ring after his win. He noted how Big Show could see he was ready for the opportunity at be WWE Champion. Feeling it, however, was different to simply seeing the potential.
McIntyre then recalled how Big Show told him that he has “the potential to become one of the greatest champions of all time, which meant the world to me, because he is been in (the ring) with the greatest of all time.”
Drew McIntyre is set to defend his WWE Championship this Sunday. He faces Seth Rollins at WWE’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently commented on the WWE Championship situation on his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast. The ‘Big Guy’ would praise Drew McIntyre; discussing how he went from perennial jobber for life to become one of the most promising prospects of the next decade.
Another Superstar that Ryback would comment on was Jinder Mahal. The former 3MB member of course teamed with McIntyre for a big chunk of his WWE career alongside the now released Heath Slater. Both Mahal and McIntyre have held WWE main event gold; however while the seemingly ‘shocking’ WWE Championship win of Mahal seemed to be an anomaly? McIntyre looks set to remain in the main event picture.
Jinder Mahal Returns
Ryback would discuss how Jinder Mahal is a potential opponent for McIntyre down the line, seeing as both have parallels in their career paths and their history in the 3 Man Band stable. “He [Jinder Mahal] was off TV I think for like nine or 10 months? For a pretty significant period of time” Ryback would begin. “They [WWE] just assume that everyone forgets everything.”
Ryback would then talk about how WWE fans have a good memory when it comes to the perception of talent, with Jinder having previously played a lower-card comedy character. The subsequent rise of Mahal to the WWE Championship originally was such that unlike McIntyre, fans didn’t really seem to latch on to the ‘Modern Day Maharaja’ as a main event character.
In The ‘Circle’
“This is one of those things, I don’t think Jinder is in the ‘circle'” Ryback would continue. “I don’t think he ever was in the ‘circle.’ I think that he served a purpose for them by putting the title on him, because of the rumours of that whole thing with India? Whatever the reason was.”
The ‘Big Guy’ would then finish by talking about how Jinder was dropped down the pecking order by WWE after he lost the WWE Title. Ryback would also claim that talents in that coveted ‘circle’ do not get demoted after they lose a title. “You see the guys that are in the circle? They will stay [in the main event] well after. Jinder didn’t, and he was relegated back to no entrance, which is the worst thing for any wrestler. When you’re getting put out there with no entrance? That sh*ts not good.”
Scottish Psychopath vs Modern Day Maharaja?
Ryback finished by saying that he believes Jinder will get a shot at the title, but it will be a short program with McIntyre. “I think he’ll be used for a matchup for Drew. They’re [WWE] gonna make Jinder look like he was this former champion, build them up and to serve the purpose of getting a one off probably. My personal opinion? I hope it’s more for Jinder. But, just based on how they have used him throughout? He’s never, never been in the circle.”
Do you think that Jinder Mahal will get a match for the WWE Championship? Let us know in the comments
