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Drew McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, Royal Rumble winner, multi-time Intercontinental Champion, and former Raw Tag-Team Champion. The Scottish Warrior is one of the most hard-working, committed, consistent, and talented performers of his generation.
The former WWE Champion first debuted on the main roster in August 2009. He was billed as "The Chosen One" by Vince McMahon. Over the next year, McIntyre rose through the ranks quickly, gaining victories over Matt Hardy, John Morrison, R-Truth, Yoshi Tatsu, Kofi Kingston, and Kane. He also won the Intercontinental Championship. However, the Chosen One eventually fell down the pecking order, being relegated to the lower mid-card despite being primed for a main-event run.
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The Scottish Warrior allied with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal to form the 3MB, which was never a real threat on the main roster. He was released in June 2014.
Like a true sportsman, McIntyre regained focus, improved his wrestling ability, and became a huge name outside WWE. He grabbed the attention of WWE officials, and returned to WWE in April 2017.
His second run with WWE has been a massive success. Drew McIntyre has seemingly realized his true potential in WWE and has become a major draw, but his rise hasn't come overnight.
This list will explore five of Drew McIntyre's biggest victories that launched him into the stratosphere.
#5 Drew McIntyre defeats Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage Match
When McIntyre was promoted to the main roster from NXT, he returned to RAW alongside the veteran Dolph Ziggler. The Showoff and The Scottish Warrior dominated the scene in the summer of 2018.
McIntyre was Ziggler's bodyguard and helped Ziggler win the Intercontinental Championship from Seth Rollins. Eventually, McIntyre and Ziggler entered a feud alongside Braun Strowman against The Shield.
However, McIntyre eventually broke off the alliance with Ziggler as his allegiance to Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin strengthened. This led to a feud with Dolph Ziggler, which culminated in a Steel Cage match on the first edition of RAW in 2019.
McIntyre was dominant in this match. Dolph Ziggler sold every move perfectly and made McIntyre look extremely strong. McIntyre won the brutal encounter definitively with a devastating Claymore. However, he was far from finished with Ziggler. McIntyre laid out his former friend with another Claymore.
This victory was essential in establishing Drew McIntyre as a threat. This was McIntyre's first major clean victory on the main roster upon his return.
#4 Drew McIntyre retains WWE Championship against Seth Rollins
Drew McIntyre's first WWE Championship began at the peak of the pandemic, but that didn't deter the Scottish Warrior from putting on amazing matches regularly. His first WWE Championship match was against one of the best performers of this generation - The Messiah Seth Rollins.
McIntyre had just won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. After years of relentless effort, he was in no mood to drop the title to the Messiah so soon. Hence, their WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank 2020 was pivotal in his early days as WWE Champion.
Drew McIntyre versus Seth Rollins was one of the best wrestling matches of 2020. The two gladiators fought tooth and nail for nineteen minutes. It was an intense, back-and-forth encounter that saw McIntyre kick out of the devastating Stomp. However, one devastating Claymore Kick to Rollins was enough to secure the pinfall. They shook hands after the match, which was a testament to the amazing match they had just worked.
Pinning Rollins in the first title defense was instrumental in establishing Drew McIntyre as a credible WWE Champion who could hang in there with the best.
#3 Drew McIntyre defeats Goldberg at Royal Rumble 2021
At Royal Rumble 2021, Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship against a hungry Goldberg. The 54-year-old returned on the first episode of RAW to challenge McIntyre. The Hall of Famer wanted to teach the WWE Champion a valuable lesson in respect, but he also wanted to win the prestigious WWE Championship. He had won the Universal Championship last year. Hence, McIntyre was facing the biggest threat to his WWE Championship.
The two beasts fought in a thrilling three-minute encounter that opened the show. It wasn't a technical masterpiece but an all-out war. Goldberg speared the WWE Champion through the barricade but fell victim to a skull-cracking Claymore that earned the WWE Champion a decisive victory.
It was a passing-the-torch moment. McIntyre had earned the respect of the iconic Goldberg, who willingly shook the champion's hand and raised his arm.
Defeating a Hall of Famer who has been nearly invincible for more than two decades was a huge accomplishment for the rising star. McIntyre had overcome the greatest hurdle in his long WWE Championship reign.
It wasn't Goldberg's retirement match, but he walked out with his head held high. He made McIntyre look like a star.
#2 Drew McIntyre wins the 2020 Royal Rumble match
The 2020 Royal Rumble was one of the greatest Rumble matches of all time. It was a tale of three incredible stories: the rise of Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar's dominance, and Edge's return. However, by the end of the night, the real star was McIntyre. He had finally reached the heights his loyal fans expected him to reach.
Brock Lesnar walked in as WWE Champion and entered at number one. The Beast went on a rampage, tossing over 13 men and tying with Braun Strowman's record for most eliminations. The crowd was losing interest when the Scottish Warrior entered the picture at number 16.
With some help from Ricochet, he blasted Lesnar out of the ring over the top rope with an emphatic Claymore. The crowd erupted! McIntyre then eliminated five more competitors - Ricochet, The Miz, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns.
Drew McIntyre's Royal Rumble win was the precursor to a massive push. Moreover, it was the finest indication that "The Chosen One" had arrived. His in-ring acumen, resilience, and passion were on full display in the match.
He shone in a star-studded match which saw one of the best returns as Edge ended his retirement. Though Edge was the crowd's favorite, the crowd was ecstatic when McIntyre won.
#1 Drew McIntyre slays Brock Lesnar to win his first WWE Championship
The main event of WrestleMania 36, which emanated from an empty arena, saw Drew McIntyre collide with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. The story was perfect—a rising babyface looking to conquer the indomitable heel en route to winning the top prize.
The Scottish Warrior versus The Beast was short, sweet, and fast-paced. Lesnar executed multiple F5s and German Suplexes, but McIntyre kicked out. Lesnar and Paul Heyman were stunned, but the champion continued the onslaught.
However, after Lesnar delivered a fourth F5, McIntyre rattled him with three successive Claymores, and he secured the pinfall. McIntyre was at the peak of the mountain, having conquered his greatest rival.
It was the most fitting conclusion to McIntyre's emotional, heart-warming rise from a stranger to the WWE Champion. The most unfortunate part was that there was no live crowd to witness the greatest moment of McIntyre's career. If WWE has the opportunity for a rematch, it should go ahead so that McIntyre can get the pop that he deserves.
Brock Lesnar put Drew McIntyre over, and there was no one better to do the honors for McIntyre.
