There is no dispute of the fact that Drew McIntyre has done a tremendous job as the WWE Champion after winning it at WrestleMania. Unfortunately for the Scottish Psychopath, his run as the top Champion hasn't gone as he would have imagined.
His bad luck started with WrestleMania itself. He won the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania, but unlike previous winners like Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston, he did not get the chance to experience a roaring crowd chanting his name.
Even though McIntyre has tried his best to make his presence felt like the top guy, it has to be admitted that having no live audience has hampered his push. Other than the fact that there is no live crowd, the shows haven't been doing so well ratings-wise either.
Drew McIntyre responsible for AEW Superstars not getting pushed?
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer pointed out that AEW has refrained from pushing certain AEW Superstars because they don't want a 'Drew McIntyre type situation' happening to them. Here is what Cagesideseats stated:
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW has held off peaking the push of some wrestlers right now without fans in the arena, because they don’t want “to do the Drew McIntyre thing” to them.
Although AEW has been doing a fairly good job of maintaining their viewership even during the current times, it is an intelligent move to keep a few wrestlers on reserve so they can be pushed later on.
Getting a push when the situation becomes normal would help the company assess if the Superstar is truly over with the crowd or not. Though Drew McIntyre has received universal praise for his work as the WWE Champion, some veterans have pointed out that only a live crowd can indicate how much interest he is able to generate as the top guy.