12 WWE Failures Who Became World Champion
1. Drew McIntyre
On the left: An under-confident and directionless member of 3MB. Many enjoyed the faction's zany vibe and underdog feel, but running with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal was a far cry from being dubbed Vince McMahon's "Chosen One" a few years earlier. Come 2014, by his own admission, Drew McIntyre was drinking heavily and understandably struggling with the weight of his mother's passing in 2012. WWE released him into the wilds and he had to rebuild his career on the independents.
On the right: WWE Champion and one of the best all-rounders in the biz. Drew turned his life around to get in the best physical shape he'd ever been in, went on a crusade across the globe outside WWE, and showed that he was very much well worth re-signing. In 2017, he made his comeback via NXT, but it wasn't long before McIntyre was tearing it up on the main roster and winning major championships.
Drew graced a lot of lists looking at 'what might've been' for discarded WWE stars between 2014-2017. It looked to most like he'd blown his opportunity to become the first ever Scottish WWE Champ, but McIntyre maybe needed a kick in the arse to set him on the right path. He deserves full credit for clawing his way back near the top, then for smashing through the barrier to become a multi-time WWE Champion.
The Scot was all over the place mentally and probably physically when he left WWE in 2014, but he refused to throw the towel in on his dreams and has reaped rich rewards for backing himself. Publicly, he's praised his wife for standing by his side and helping him to reprioritise his life.
What a redemption story.
What other WWE failures went on to become World Champions? For more wrestling, check out 15 Exact Moments WCW Booking Stopped Making Sense and 8 New Directions For WWE After Clash In Paris 2025!