Every Drew McIntyre Title Reign In WWE, Ranked

Drew McIntyre has had one hell of a journey when it comes to professional wrestling. Following his WWE debut in 2009, he was supposedly primed to be the “Chosen One”, set for great success and championship glory. However, as time went on, he dropped further and further down the card, losing his way, and becoming a glorified jobber by the time his first stint in WWE ended, leaving him to forge out another path on the independent scene.

He would become one of the top stars in indie wrestling, winning titles in Impact, ICW, WCPW, and Evolve. His image changed into one of a top superstar, which led to his eventual comeback and return to WWE, where his second run with the company saw him reach that potential and all the goals which had been set out a decade prior. He has won several titles in both of his WWE runs, with some reigns being better than others.

6 WWE Tag Team Championship

After flailing around in the midcard after WWE seemingly not committing to their pushes, both Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes found themselves brought together. At Night of Champions 2010, McIntyre and Rhodes were a surprise entrant in a Tag Team Title gauntlet match, outlasting the likes of the Hart Dynasty, The Usos, Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov, and finally Mark Henry & Evan Bourne.

They were a thrown-together team, but both were full of tremendous potential at the time, so the team could have had some serious legs. However, they had just a one-month reign, although they won quite a lot in that time, looking strong. They would lose to the even more random pairing of John Cena and David Otunga, which made their reign feel like a waste of time. Their team would dissolve shortly after.

5 Intercontinental Championship

Upon being called up to WWE’s main roster, Drew McIntyre was billed as the “Chosen One”, handpicked by Mr. McMahon as a future WWE Champion. He impressed early on, dominating opponents, defeating veterans such as R-Truth, Finlay, and Matt Hardy. He would even be a sole survivor in his first Survivor Series, just three months into his run.

Before the year had ended, he dethroned John Morrison to become Intercontinental Champion, holding the title for an impressive 161 days. He would unfortunately lose several non-title matches as champion, and didn’t have any memorable defenses, despite his reign being lengthy. He did feel like a future star, but the booking didn’t help in the slightest.

4 Raw Tag Team Championship

Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler WWE Raw Tag Team Champions

When McIntyre was called-up to the main roster for a second time in 2018, he aligned himself with Dolph Ziggler, initially acting as a heavy. They eventually turned to the tag team division where they were a dominant duo, dethroning the B-Team to become Raw Tag Team Champions. Their reign lasted 49-days, so it wasn’t the longest, but it was full of substance and strong matches.

They defended the belts in a brilliant match against Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins, before defending against The Revival just a week later. Their reign took a bit of a backseat when Braun Strowman became involved in their alliance, and they would drop the titles to Ambrose and Rollins eventually.

3 NXT Championship

Drew McIntyre’s WWE return saw him arrive in NXT, after dominating the independent scene. He went on a strong winning streak, quickly finding himself in contention for the NXT Championship. He would defeat Bobby Roode in a strong match to win the title at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 3, with it being a lovely moment to see him hold gold.

He would only have a handful of televised matches as champion, defending the belt against both Roderick Strong & Adam Cole in entertaining matches, before shockingly dropping the title to Andrade “Cien” Almas, and then subsequently being ruled out with an injury. It was a short reign, but the matches were all strong, though it would have been nice to see him spend a longer time on top of the black and gold brand.

2 WWE Championship (2nd Reign)

Roman Reigns v Drew McIntyre Survivor Series 2020 Cropped

Whilst some fans may have been tired of seeing McIntyre as champion, and even though this reign was shorter than his first, it was still full of great matches and moments, with McIntyre looking strong. Less than a month after dropping the title to Randy Orton, he won it back in time to face Roman Reigns in a blockbuster champion vs champion match, in which he would come up short.

Following that, he defended the title in a great TLC match against AJ Styles. He would also go on to defeat Keith Lee, Goldberg, and outlasted five others inside an Elimination Chamber. He would only end up losing the title following an ambush by Bobby Lashley, and a Money in the Bank cash-in from The Miz, leaving McIntyre to still look very credible even in defeat.

1 WWE Championship (1st Reign)

After winning an incredible Royal Rumble match to a thunderous ovation, McIntyre finally had a major championship match, going on to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. However, due to the effects of the pandemic, no fans were in attendance for the event. McIntyre’s title win came with an eerie silence, giving him the hardest job of any WWE Champion, perhaps in history. Despite that, McIntyre held the title through a tough period, doing a tremendous job.

He defeated the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Bobby Lashley, MVP, Seth Rollins, Robert Roode, and Randy Orton during this reign, having some great matches along the way, and running Raw as the number one babyface. Under the circumstances, McIntyre’s first reign as WWE should be highly applauded.