Drew McIntyre's WWE Release, Explained
Olivia Owen Highlights
- Drew McIntyre was introduced to WWE by Vince McMahon and initially had success, becoming the Intercontinental Champion and having a long reign.
- McIntyre's career took a downturn when he became a tag team wrestler, most notably as part of the group 3-Man Band. He was unsuccessful in winning championships during this time.
- McIntyre's release from WWE in 2014 was attributed to McMahon's lack of trust in him and a perceived bad attitude. McIntyre later transformed his character and returned to WWE, becoming a top star and winning the WWE Championship.
Drew McIntyre delivered a Future Shock DDT heard around the wrestling world in 2009 when he made his official debut on the SmackDown brand. McIntyre was introduced by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, being hand-picked by McIntyre as his prodigy. While McIntyre went on to have moderate success as a mid-carder during this time, he didn't live up to his full potential. In 2014, he was paired with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal as part of the tag team trio "3-Man Band" (3MB). Frustrated with his creative direction, McIntyre was eventually released by WWE.
What actually led to Drew McIntyre being released by WWE behind the scenes? Let us find out!
Drew McIntyre's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Drew McIntyre has several great matches and is among the most relied upon and talented names WWE has on their roster.WWE Championships | WWE Misc. Accomplishments |
|---|---|
WWE Champion (2x) | Royal Rumble Winner (2020) |
NXT Champion (1x) | 31st Triple Crown Champion |
WWE Intercontinental Champion (1x) | |
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion (2x) |
Drew McIntyre Was Introduced To WWE By Vince McMahon
Drew McIntyre Became Intercontinental Champion
After a less than memorable stint in WWE back in 2007, McIntyre worked in FCW to sharpen his in-ring abilities. In 2009, Drew McIntyre was re-introduced to WWE on an episode of SmackDown by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. McMahon called McIntyre a "future world champion", as McIntyre was knighted by McMahon to be "The Chosen One". McIntyre began a short feud with R-Truth which ended with McIntyre getting the better of R-Truth, defeating him in a match at Bragging Rights. After a successful run at Survivor Series the following month, McIntyre began another short feud with then WWE Intercontinental Champion, John Morrison. McIntyre defeated Morrison to capture the title at TLC.
Drew McIntyre Reveals Vince McMahon Saved Him From Horrible Gimmick
15 years ago, Drew McIntyre almost played a character that might have ruined any chance of making a comeback in WWE.Drew McIntyre carried the title into early 2010, defeating John Morrison yet again, then later Kane at Elimination Chamber. McIntyre was a participant in the Money in the Bank ladder match for WrestleMania 26, but lost the opportunity to obtain the briefcase. He utilized his relationship with Vince McMahon to keep the Intercontinental Championship throughout 2010 until McMahon was removed from television thanks to the Nexus. Not long after, McIntyre dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Kofi Kingston, then was removed from WWE television due to issues with his work visa expiring.
Drew McIntyre Tried His Hand As A Tag Team Wrestler
Title Reign With Cody Rhodes, 3MB, And WWE Release
Drew McIntyre began teaming with Cody Rhodes heading into Night of Champions. The duo won the WWE Tag Team Championship in a five-team tag turmoil match. The team was short-lived, as Rhodes and McIntyre ended their tag team following Bragging Rights, losing the tag titles to the Nexus. From here, McIntyre did his best to stay relevant as a singles star. He failed to win the 2011 Royal Rumble match after being eliminated by Big Show. He developed a rivalry with SmackDown General Manager, Teddy Long, due to his contract that was written by Vince McMahon a year prior. The self-proclaimed "Chosen One" began a long losing streak that lasted throughout 2011 into 2012.
By the time WWE TLC rolled around, Drew McIntyre formed a trio tag team with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater, as the trio became known as the "3-Man Band" (3MB). While the trio was somewhat popular with the audience, they were more or less jobbers to the rest of the WWE roster. Despite challenging for the WWE Tag Team Championships on several occasions against Team Hell No! (Kane & Daniel Bryan) and The Shield, they were unsuccessful. At WrestleMania 30, he wrestled his last WWE match as part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Drew McIntyre Reveals When & Why Vince McMahon Decided To Start Pushing Him
Vince McMahon finally decided to give Drew McIntyre a long overdue main event push. Here's how it all started, according to McIntyre.On June 12, 2014, Drew McIntyre was officially released from his WWE contract. The release by WWE was attributed to a couple of factors. Behind the scenes, Vince McMahon didn't trust McIntyre's abilities beyond his initial push in 2009 and felt he didn't reach his full potential. Secondly, McIntyre carried a chip on his shoulder, attributing it to having a bad attitude that would lead to his eventual WWE departure, as spoken about below during his interview with Good Karma Wrestling.
Drew McIntyre Dramatically Transformed His Character And Returned To WWE
Drew McIntyre Became WWE Champion
Drew McIntyre spent several years wrestling on the independent circuit, then later had a very successful run with TNA prior to his WWE comeback in 2017. During that time, McIntyre matured and completely transformed his character, building on his physique and growing from the person he once was in WWE prior to his release. Drew McIntyre returned to WWE as part of the NXT brand at NXT TakeOver: Orlando in April 2017, re-branding himself as "The Scottish Psychopath".
McIntyre became NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II by defeating Bobby Roode. In April 2018, McIntyre moved back to the main roster as part of the Raw brand. During the next couple of years, McIntyre would continue improving his craft inside the ring. He was part of high profile feuds involving Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and The Undertaker up until the beginning of 2020.
Drew McIntyre Not Happy About WWE's 2024 Royal Rumble Poster
Punk and Orton made the cut, but McIntyre and Bayley did not.The Scottish Psychopath won the 2020 Royal Rumble match and moved on to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. McIntyre led the charge for WWE during the COVID-19 pandemic. To the present day, McIntyre remains a viable part of the company, having turned heel recently for the first time since 2019 and establishing a rivalry with Sami Zayn and WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins.
