10 Wrestlers Who Revived Their Careers On The Indies
1. Drew McIntyre
Once hand-picked as Vince McMahon’s 'Chosen One,' and a future WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre made a hot start to life in WWE. Unfortunately, his credibility was gradually chipped away by a stream of shoddy angles, starting with the Scot literally begging Teddy Long for his job back and ending with the 3MB stable in 2014.
McIntyre’s independent hustle began immediately. He returned to Scotland’s ICW (the promotion in which he’d made his name in the first place), and started working with EVOLVE. McIntyre soon held both promotion’s top titles, and his stock went through the roof. Regardless of whether he was competing in the US or abroad, McIntyre-as-Galloway looked more fired up and energised than at any point in his WWE career, and performed like a man with a real chip on his shoulder.
This ultimately manifested in a WWE return this April, when McIntyre appeared unannounced at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. Drew now looks set to become a major player on WWE’s developmental brand three years after his initial release, and he’s unquestionably a stronger performer today.
If he achieves his goal of becoming NXT Champion, it won’t be because of what he accomplished during his first WWE run - but his incredible indie work.