Every 'Next Big Thing' In Wrestling History: Where Are They Now?
19. Drew McIntyre
In 2009, on TV, the Mr. McMahon character anointed Drew McIntyre as the ‘Chosen One’. Drew was immediately presented as a future WWE Champion, and in 2009, you could see why. He was competent in the ring, very tall, and very handsome.
It didn’t happen; this lazy bid to create a star was exposed as precisely that, WWE grew impatient, and Drew was relegated to a comedy undercard role.
In a monumental self-own, the subtext of which was a scathing yet unintentional indictment of WWE developmental, it was made canon in 2017 that Drew McIntyre only realised his potential after leaving WWE and discovering how to get over. This staggering lack of self-awareness also drove the push of the returning Cody Rhodes in 2022.
Few seemed to care or even notice that WWE had in effect told its audience that developmental was a waste of time. Drew’s confidence and actual self-awareness drove his babyface push in early 2020 - crucially, he grasped that bad comedy was a part of the gig and performed it with tongue lodged firmly in cheek - and it also helped that he was a massive and dynamic ass-kicker who worked with a satisfying snugness.
Now, as the paranoid troll “hater”, he is WWE’s top heel and a hugely entertaining watch.
It only took 11 years, but Drew got there in the end.