20 Most Underrated WWE Stars Of The Past 20 Years

Hot-shotted to the top of the midcard in August 2009, Andrew 'McIntyre' Galloway was given the official thumbs up by none other than Mr. McMahon himself. The WWE’s Horrible Boss himself told the world he saw a future World Champion in Drew McIntyre during an in-ring segment that aired mere weeks after his debut. He wasn't wrong. The man is a serious talent, with size and skill in equal measure.

Sadly, given that wrestling fans these days react poorly to being told that a performer is the next big thing, McIntyre’s 'Chosen One' gimmick didn't set the world on fire. At first, it seemed as though the company was wholly behind him: he was awarded the Intercontinental Championship (traditionally considered the gateway title to the main event), and held on to it for five months.

However, without consistent creative, McIntyre found himself relegated to the lower card shortly afterwards, eventually joining low-ranking jobber stable 3MB, where he spent the final two years of his WWE career before being released in 2014.

It's still difficult to know what on earth WWE were thinking here. Galloway is a large man (which we know gets Vince McMahon all excited), with a great look and a significant skillset in the ring and on the mic. If they had to pair him with people, why not Sheamus or Wade Barrett, the two wrestlers he’d been most associated with before and during his developmental tenure?

Don’t get me wrong - 3MB were a fun little undercard unit, and there’s a case to be made that talent like Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater were also under-utliised by the company… but Drew McIntyre stood out in that group like a tiger in a cackle of hyenas. On the other hand, Barrett and Sheamus were, like McIntyre, massive brawlers with mean streaks, and the three were already friends, with history and chemistry together.

Seriously, though. “An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a wrestling promotion.” It writes itself...

Whatever the case, Drew Galloway has since gone on to prove his worth on the US and UK independent scene, regularly raising the roof wherever he performs. He’s still young enough to rejoin the WWE at some point… but I see no reason why he’d bother, given how lacklustre things were for him there the first time.