9 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2007
1. Drew McIntyre’s Debut Is Fascinating To Revisit
This feels wrong looking back. Drew McIntyre debuted on the 12 October ’07 SmackDown with a win over Brett Major (Zack Ryder/Matt Cardona). He’d go on from there to beat Brian Major (Curt Hawkins) on the 19 October episode, then worked a tag-team Battle Royal alongside partner Dave Taylor. That’d be McIntyre’s last match on SmackDown until the 28 August 2009 edition.
He was moved to Raw quietly in early-2008, then went to FCW for seasoning. It's pretty clear that WWE were asking Drew to run before he could walk here. What a journey this man has had, right enough. He might not have been ready for the big time just yet, but the Scot can still point to a debut during the 'Ruthless Aggression' era.
Madness.
The difference between Drew back then and Drew since he returned to the promotion in 2017 is that he's no longer eager to please absolutely everyone. He isn't lazy, of course (far from it), but McIntyre realised that he had to focus on what he does well without trying to be all things to all men.
He was surely doing that in his younger days as a bright eyed and bushy tailed ex-ICW/independent wrestling star from the UK who'd just landed in the US. His excitement is visible in his first few SmackDown performances, and that makes them fascinating to run into when binging.
What else did you learn from watching every episode of WWE SmackDown from 2007? For more wrestling, check out 8 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2006 and 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2006!