"All My Dreams Were Going To Hell" - Drew McIntyre Reveals AWFUL WWE Gimmick Pitch (WWE News)

Drew McIntyre is considered to be a made man in WWE circles these days. He's a multi-time former WWE Champion, and he's been effective as both a babyface and a heel since returning to the company in 2017. Before that, the Scot enjoyed a lengthy spell in the promotion between 2007-2014. It ended on a sour note when he was released, but McIntyre clawed his way back and eventually surpassed his initial run.

Things could've been very, very different though.

Drew revealed during a chat with the No Contest Wrestling podcast that WWE's original pitch left him horrified. John Laurinaitis, who was head of talent relations at the time, laid out a model gimmick for the newcomer that was called (wait for it)..."The Runway Man". According to Johnny (less than) Ace, McIntyre was "going to have [his] own model runway and [was] going to walk down like a model".

Immediately, Drew started thinking: "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!". He described on the pod that it felt like he was right up against it in WWE from the off: "I was picturing in my head, basically all my dreams were going to hell. The life’s work of a Scotsman, it was all going down the toilet".

A follow up meeting with Laurinaitis and Vince McMahon changed everything. McMahon wanted to know McIntyre's thoughts on the gimmick pitch, and Drew (who was clearly looking not to ruffle any feathers) replied that he'd "make it work". However, Vince could see that his new hire wasn't keen, and so he ultimately decided to scrap the whole thing.

Drew debuted on the 12 October 2007 SmackDown alongside shortlived mentor Dave Taylor before being posted to FCW developmental for seasoning. He'd eventually show back up as McMahon's 'Chosen One' in late-August 2009.

Rick Martel And Maximum Male Models Would've Been Proud!

Of course, McIntyre wouldn't have been the first to play a model character, but he was horrified by the mere thought of it. Rick Martel embraced the gimmick and made it his own from 1989 onwards, and others like 'Ravishing' Rick Rude and Rob Conway have played model-esque characters to varying levels of success.

More people fondly recall Rude than the 'Con Man', put it that way.

In more recent years, Mace and Mansoor were repackaged as Maximum Male Models alongside Max and Maxxine Dupri. The tag-team tried their best to make it work, but they were released from their contracts in late-2023. Since then, Max has reverted to his LA Knight name to find significant success, and Maxxine is cutting her teeth as an aspiring breakout singles star in the women's division.

What would Drew as "The Runway Man" have looked like? In theory, it'd have been a basic retread of Martel or Rude's presentation, albeit slightly updated for the 2007-2009 period. A more cynical viewpoint is that WWE might have tried to go retro with things by turning McIntyre into a bombastic character stuck in the 1980s/early 1990s.

He wasn't up for it regardless. The whole 'Chosen One' thing didn't exactly pan out for Drew long term, but he was spared some blushes at least.