How AEW Should Debut Drew McIntyre

It's simply too easy to take wrestling regulars and company mainstays for granted in the content super-service era.

This is the case with both WWE and AEW in 2023, but was a problem long before the latter even launched. It's a good thing that the industry has gradually shifted to preserve the health and well-being of its most important individuals more than ever, but the reverse ageing process on the wrestlers has the opposite effect on them as consistently captivating television stars.

It's not fair, really; if you somehow assembled a career like The Miz you'd probably want to recite your Wikipedia page off once a week too, but 52 promos a year about all the different title defences during those two Grand Slams aren't going to make people remember them as fondly as The Ultimate Warrior's singular World Heavyweight Championship win, or Stone Cold Steve Austin's three WrestleMania title triumphs, or even the over-praised but fondly remembered JBL WWE Championship stranglehold between 2004 and 2005.

This is the way now. Not a week goes by where another full-time WWE wrestler doesn't double or treble the amount of years The Rock spent on the roster. Roman Reigns' recent 1000-day milestone is undeniably impressive and a couple of excellent SmackDown numbers speak to the objective financial successes along the way, but the cultural footprint of his four-figure stint with the top prize won't be anywhere near as deep as the ones left behind by Hogan, Bruno Sammartino or even Madison Square Garden mega-draw Bob Backlund.

McIntyre fell into that trap in his original 2008-2014 run, going from Vince McMahon's "Chosen One" to somebody saying goodbye to forgotten Intercontinental and Tag Team Title runs. It's happened again (albeit on a much higher tier), and those looking for a little more spice on Wednesday (and/or Saturday!) nights might not realise exactly what McIntyre could bring to the table.

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