6 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Feb 4)
3. Can Drew Draw?
WWE
"Why now?" was perhaps the most poignant question to kick off a quality section of the show with Royal Rumble winner and WrestleMania Number One contender Drew McIntyre.
He's a performer with an extremely complex and contemporary WWE history, having tried and failed to break through during the wretched John Laurinaitis talent development era before finding new problems on the main roster following an enjoyable NXT scenic route.
Here, as he's been on television over the last month or so, was all the evidence as to precisely why now more than all those other times he's actually been given a real chance. Joking that he was a "reformed psychopath" before opening up on his numerous highs and lows, McIntyre was affable but assured about his deserved time in the biggest spotlight.
The destination might be overstated compared to the journey, but Drew's travelled long enough to reach the 'Show Of Shows' headline spot. No longer a 'Chosen One', he's very clearly earned this.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
