Drew McIntyre is Raw's next Main Event star

Monday Night Raw is still going through a transition period. With the unfortunate absence of Roman Reigns due to his battle with leukaemia, WWE felt the need to hotshot the Universal Championship back onto the previous holder of the title, Brock Lesnar. Many felt that Braun Strowman should have been the one to carry the red brand in Reigns' absence, but that ship has seemed to have sailed while the Monster Among Men feuds with interim General Manager Baron Corbin.

Lesnar reportedly only signed with WWE for two dates, and his Survivor Series bout with WWE Champion Daniel Bryan has come and gone. The main event scene of Raw is in shambles, and now the top championship is gone and will likely not be seen until Royal Rumble, maybe even until Wrestlemania. We see one constant star in the main event scene that could make a big splash at the end of the year, and that man is Drew McIntyre.

WWE has made Drew look like an absolute beast upon his return to the main roster, pairing him with Dolph Ziggler in an unlikely move back in April. But since his return, McIntyre has shown sheer dominance, winning the Raw Tag Team Championships and knocking down everyone from Finn Balor to even Kurt Angle.

It's not every day that you see someone tap out to their own finisher, let alone an Olympic gold medalist and multiple-time WWE Champion like Kurt Angle. When he gives someone like McIntyre the creative stamp of approval to go over like that, a talent with the caliber of McIntyre should not be overlooked.

McIntyre has also been one of the few men on the roster who has taken down Braun Strowman, assaulting him with a barrage of Claymore Kicks over the summer and into the fall. WWE has the chance to capture lightning in a bottle with McIntyre, who looks to redeem himself in his second run on the main roster.

Frankly, we don't know how much longer Brock Lesnar will be around the Universal Championship scene, we never have. When we think he'll be gone for good, he comes back in and steals the title away from full-time superstars. Yet, with Lesnar's fight against Daniel Cormier being all-but green-lit for January 2019, we could see Lesnar step away from the WWE.

But will Lesnar bring the title with him? I've come up with scenarios for Lesnar dropping the title at the Royal Rumble, or he keeps it until Wrestlemania.

Scenario #1: Brock Lesnar drops Universal Championship to Braun Strowman at Royal Rumble

Lesnar's aforementioned UFC fight in 2019 opens up the doors to shuffle the main event scene on Raw. We know that if Braun Strowman takes down Baron Corbin at TLC, he'll get another shot at the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble (most likely). The WWE Universe quickly warmed up to Strowman in the build to Crown Jewel in November, and many were left speechless at the booking decision to put the title back on Lesnar after losing it to Reigns at Summerslam.

Crown Jewel felt like WWE had dangled the possibility of a new, full-time champion in Braun Strowman, and took it all away for the sake of having a security blanket in Lesnar. At the Royal Rumble, WWE could right that wrong and give Strowman his first world championship on the main roster. Who would be the man to win the Royal Rumble and take on the Monster Among Men at Wrestlemania 35?

Drew McIntyre.

The feud pretty much writes itself. McIntyre has been a thorn in Strowman's side for the better half of a year, trying to undermine Strowman from any opportunities to get his hands on the brass ring on Monday nights. McIntyre is a man on a mission, slowly controlling the fate of his and Ziggler's partnership and we could see him ditch The Showoff once and for all.

This also sets up a goliath babyface vs. heel title match that much of the WWE Universe would clamor for. It appeals to both casual and hardcore fans, with Strowman as the take-no-names babyface with a simple catchphrase, and McIntyre, who people have followed on the indies among his first departure from the WWE in 2014.

But, how ready is WWE to put the Universal Championship on someone like Strowman, who allegedly is wishy-washy to work with backstage? WWE sees Lesnar as their safe option, and while I believe this would be a great main event feud, it's not as likely as the second option we have for McIntyre.

Scenario #2: McIntyre takes on Lesnar at Wrestlemania 35 and wins

To be blunt, Brock Lesnar isn't going anywhere, at least for the foreseeable future. But, this gives time for WWE to groom McIntyre into a butt-kicking rogue soldier looking out for himself, and only himself.

Drew McIntyre is one of the guys on the roster who does truly feel like a threat to Brock Lesnar. His physique, dominance over opponents and star-making qualities make him a favorite to take on the Beast down the line, if not dethrone him.

Both of these scenarios revolve around McIntyre winning the Royal Rumble, which I firmly believe will happen. This gives McIntyre the seal of approval as one of the top guys on Raw, and I don't think that WWE will have a Smackdown winner three years in a row.

This build will be a little trickier, as it all depends on if Lesnar does or doesn't defend the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, along with how WWE decides to build McIntyre up.

The safest bet is to have McIntyre slowly turn into a fan favorite. He can be the guy that fans have wanted Roman Reigns to be, a silent assassin, reliant on not his mouth, but to demolish everybody in the ring who opposes him. Giving McIntyre big wins over foes like Lashley, Strowman, an upcoming Lars Sullivan and even Baron Corbin.

This way, McIntyre has torn through the entire roster without saying a word. Have him defeat fan favorites like Finn Balor and even get a payoff feud against Dolph Ziggler down the line to signify that McIntyre is a solo act, on a mission to win gold.

Either way, WWE have something big in store for Drew McIntyre. Whether they capitalize on him or not is the question that we'll have to wait to be answered.

What do you think WWE has in store for Drew McIntyre? Let me know in the comments below.