5 Signs that 2020 could be the year of Drew McIntyre

Will McIntyre stand above the rest in 2020?
Will McIntyre stand above the rest in 2020?

If you're a fan of the Scottish Psychopath, you can't help but be disappointed with his journey in 2019. Drew McIntyre was the perennial favorite to come out on top, at seemingly every major event this year.

He was my pick to win the Royal Rumble, the Money in the Bank briefcase, and the King of the Ring Tournament. I also picked him to beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania and beat the Undertaker at SummerSlam.

He did none of those things. In fact, he never even got the one on one match with Taker.

McIntyre has spent the last 7 weeks off TV due to an injury, but he will be returning soon. In this article, I have talked about 5 signs that tell me when he does come back, it'll finally be his time to shine.


#1 He was Drafted to Raw in the 1st Round

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Drew McIntyre and Becky Lynch made guest appearances on "The Bump" this week.

McIntyre was selected 5th overall during the first night of the Draft on Friday Night SmackDown. As I stated before he has been off TV for nearly two months, but he was still a first-round draft pick.

Granted the talent pool was a little thinner on Friday. I would have loved to have seen where he would have gone if Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston were in the mix.

However, Dio Madden specifically brought up Samoa Joe's broken thumb as the reason for him falling all the way to the 5th round Monday night. He was even taken after Jinder Mahal, who is also on the shelf.

I'm willing to see McIntyre's high draft stock as a sign of big things to come. The same can be said for the rest of the first-rounders as well.

#2 New opportunities as Shane McMahon is away

The Best in the Woooooooooooooooooooooooorld!
The Best in the Woooooooooooooooooooooooorld!

Part of what held McIntyre back in 2019 was that he was never able to stand on his own feet.

Early in the year, he took part in a number of matches against the Shield. That would lead to his big match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, which did not turn out well.

It was shortly after WrestleMania that McIntyre aligned himself with the self-proclaimed Best in the World. That could have been a great move had he used Shane's power to further his own career. Instead the Scottish Psychopath was used as an enforcer for Shane.

For the next few months, McIntyre would help Shane win matches before losing again to Roman at Stomping Grounds. Then Shane and his enforcer would lose to Roman and the Undertaker at Extreme Rules.

In fact, the Chosen One would only win one more televised match before bowing out in the opening round of the King of the Ring Tournament. He would take time off immediately afterward due to his injury.

Since then Shane McMahon lost a ladder match to Kevin Owens and was subsequently fired.

With Shane no longer around, McIntyre can now start fresh. Following the Draft, the possibilities of new feuds are exciting.

Aleister Black or Ricochet would be a great place to start.

#3 He would have won King of the Ring if healthy

Drew McIntyre before his first-round loss to Ricochet
Drew McIntyre before his first-round loss to Ricochet

Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue reported earlier this year, that McIntyre was indeed set to win the King of the Ring tournament, and then challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship.

Unfortunately, he had to undergo surgery and missed out on the opportunity.

That injury had a snowball effect on the rest of the roster. Baron Corbin went on to win the King of the Ring, beating Shorty G in the finals.

Interestingly, Corbin did not get the title shot. According to Tom, WWE was going to return to the old KOTR format and award the winner a title match.

Corbin had a number of chances at Seth's title earlier in the year, so maybe that's the reason why he didn't this time.

Regardless, Rollins needed a new challenger and the Fiend got the call.

With Bray Wyatt being drafted to SmackDown, their program is likely to end soon. I'd be willing to bet McIntyre is next in line, assuming he's healthy enough to return.

#4 McIntyre has major backstage support

Stephanie and Vince McMahon at the Fox SmackDown debut.
Stephanie and Vince McMahon at the Fox SmackDown debut.

Tom Colohue also reported earlier this year that Vince McMahon wants McIntyre to win the World Title.

That is a very good sign. When Vince McMahon wants something, he usually gets it. It is his company after all.

While reviewing Clash of Champions on Sportskeeda's Dropkick DiSKussions, Colohue said:

"Everything I have heard about Drew McIntyre has been very positive backstage. They are thoroughly behind him. Vince McMahon still wants to make him a world champion. He wants him to be the chosen one and essentially prove himself right from twelve years ago."

Assuming Bray Wyatt doesn't walk away with the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, McIntyre could be winning that title sooner rather than later.

It's expected that Survivor Series will be RAW vs. SmackDown again this year. Right now that would mean another Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar match up on November 24th.

McIntyre could enter the title picture as soon as TLC in December. I personally would hold off. If you're going to crown someone, do it properly.

I would have McIntyre win the Royal Rumble and then go on to dethrone the Beast Slayer at WrestleMania 36.

#5 Lack of challengers for the Universal Title

Rollins hits the Stomp on AJ Styles
Rollins hits the Stomp on AJ Styles

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm a big fan of the RAW roster. I think Buddy Murphy, Samoa Joe, Rusev and others could all be World Champions if given the chance.

Right now though, I see four legitimate challengers to the Universal title once Rollins' feud with Bray Wyatt comes to an end — assuming he still has the title after Crown Jewel.

AJ Styles:

Styles has been a star since he made his debut at the Royal Rumble in 2016. Since moving to RAW, however, the Phenomenal One seems content hanging back in the mid-card and helping elevate other talent on the roster.

Randy Orton:

The 13-time World Champion is always a threat to win the title. I was genuinely surprised that he was not the one to take the WWE Championship off of Kofi Kingston. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a legitimate threat to Rollins.

Kevin Owens:

Don't let KO's fall to the 3rd-round in the draft fool you. He's a main event player. It's been too long since Owens won the big one, and he deserves it as much as anyone.

Drew McIntyre:

He has the look, he has the skill, and he has the support. It's time to crown the Chosen One. It all just depends on when he is ready to come back to TV.

What do you think? Please comment below.


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Edited by Anirban Banerjee
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