Ranking The Success Of Every WWE Star To Debut In The Crowd At NXT TakeOver
4. Drew McIntyre
IMPACT's major rebranding in March 2017 led to several notable names leaving the company, including Matt and Jeff Hardy, Mike Bennett, and Drew McIntyre. Most fans were too busy speculating what was next for the Hardys to wonder what the future held for McIntyre, not realizing that NXT was even an option.
That was what made his appearance in the audience at TakeOver: Orlando over WrestleMania 33 weekend such a shock. While virtually no one expected him to wind up on the black-and-gold brand, it couldn't have been a better fit for him. This marked McIntyre's return to WWE after three years away, and needless to say, he was a much different (and more well-rounded) competitor than the last time the WWE Universe had seen him.
McIntyre was a babyface throughout his NXT stint and won the NXT Championship within a matter of months at TakeOver: Brooklyn III. Unfortunately, he spent five months on the shelf with a shoulder injury after losing the title to Andrade "Cien" Almas but returned as a member of the Raw roster in April 2018.
In the 14 months he's been back on the road with WWE, McIntyre has been positioned as one of the red brand's top heels. Although he has yet to taste any singles gold, it's merely a matter of time before the Universal Championship is around his waist.