Independent circuit (2001–2007) in August 2006. Galloway began training as a wrestler at the
Frontier Wrestling Alliance's Academy at the age of 15 Although he was trained by the promotion's operator
Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and
James Tighe, he also cites the promotion's established wrestlers helping out with training, including
Doug Williams,
Paul Burchill and
Alex Shane. then developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky
narcissist. He picked up his first win on the second night in a tag team match alongside
Wolfgang, defeating Blade and Stu Pendous. By December, Galloway was
managed by Charles Boddington, who aided him in his first significant success and managed him for the next four years. Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he lost to
The Honky Tonk Man and later that month lost to
Marty Jannetty and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side. In November, at the aptly titled
Lo Down, Galloway main-evented against
D'Lo Brown in a match which ended in a double countout. He then had a brief series of feuds as in March 2005, he defeated Jay Phoenix but their rematch in November, officiated by
Mick Foley, ended in a no contest. In May 2006, after their lengthy feud in
Irish Whip Wrestling, Galloway lost then won in successive matches against long-term rival
Sheamus O'Shaunessy. In November 2006, Galloway and
Lionheart defeated BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander and Wolfgang at
Live in East Kilbride, after Galloway pinned Highlander. At December's
No Blood, No Sympathy IV event, Galloway defeated Highlander in an
"I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee to win his second BCW Heavyweight Championship. He held the title through 2007, with successful defenses against the likes of
Martin Stone, Allan Grogan and Lionheart, before vacating the title when he relocated to the United States in September. After losing to "SOS" Sheamus O'Shaunessy on 27 August 2006, Galloway defeated O'Shaunessy to win the IWW International Heavyweight Championship.
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2007–2014) Beginnings (2007–2009) Florida Championship Wrestling, where he won the
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. Galloway signed with WWE in 2007 and made his official debut on 12 October 2007 episode of
SmackDown! under the modified ring name of Drew McIntyre. Accompanied by his on-screen mentor
Dave Taylor, McIntyre defeated
Brett Major with a roll-up, establishing himself as a
villainous character. At the beginning of 2008, McIntyre was separated from Taylor and moved to the
Raw brand, making his official debut on 6 January episode of
Heat as a
face, defeating
Charlie Haas. In September 2007, McIntyre went to
Louisville, Kentucky for
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and later, he was sent to the new
farm territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In FCW, he won the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with
Stu Bennett and the
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.
Intercontinental Champion (2009–2010) in November 2009. McIntyre returned to the main roster on 28 August 2009 episode of
SmackDown, attacking
R-Truth. One month later, he received a
push when WWE chairman
Mr. McMahon promoted him as a "future world champion", going by the nickname "The Chosen One". After defeating R-Truth on 4 October at the
Hell in a Cell pay-per-view McIntyre participated at
Survivor Series on
The Miz's team for the traditional
Survivor Series elimination match on 22 November, where he, The Miz and his former rival Sheamus were the surviving members on their winning team. in December 2009. Being the only SmackDown superstar to survive against Team Morrison, McIntyre defeated
John Morrison for the
Intercontinental Championship at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 13 December. He retained the title against Morrison on 1 January 2010 episode of
SmackDown and
Kane on 21 February at
Elimination Chamber, using underhanded tactics. His televised undefeated record ended in a
Money in the Bank qualifying match against Kane on 26 February episode of
SmackDown, but Mr. McMahon forced SmackDown's general manager
Teddy Long to expunge the loss. This happened again with
Matt Hardy before McIntyre qualified for the ladder match by pinning an unsigned wrestler. McIntyre failed to win the Money in the Bank match on 28 March at
WrestleMania XXVI, his first
WrestleMania appearance. McIntyre continuously attacked Hardy until he was stripped of his title by Long on 7 May episode of
SmackDown and fired for the purposes of the storyline. However, McMahon decreed he be reinstated as champion the following week, undermining Long's authority and developing tension between McIntyre and Long. At
Over the Limit on 23 May, McIntyre lost the Intercontinental Championship to
Kofi Kingston—who had won a tournament to determine the new champion, ending his reign at 161 days. However, he still used his relationship with McMahon to bully Long, publicly humiliating and forcing Long to lie down for him for their match. At
Fatal 4-Way on 20 June, McIntyre failed to regain the title from Kingston after Long took over as the referee and refused to make the three count, allowing Hardy to attack McIntyre, leading to Kingston winning the match. On 21 June episode of
Raw,
The Nexus attacked McMahon, which removed him from television for a prolonged period and ended McIntyre's preferential treatment. After losing to Hardy on 25 June episode of
SmackDown, Long informed McIntyre that his work visa had expired and that he would be deported back to Scotland immediately. This storyline had a basis in reality, since Galloway's visa had indeed expired and he was taken off television. He returned two weeks later and was re-instated after being made to beg Long.
Tag Team Champion and losing streak (2010–2012) On 19 September, McIntyre and
Cody Rhodes won the
WWE Tag Team Championship in a five-team
tag team turmoil match at
Night of Champions, allowing them to appear on both brands. McIntyre and Rhodes successfully defended the titles twice against
The Hart Dynasty before losing them at
Bragging Rights on 24 October to The Nexus (
John Cena and
David Otunga), after which they dissolved their partnership the following week. At
Survivor Series on 21 November, McIntyre participated in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series tag team match as a member of Team Del Rio against Team Mysterio. He was the final man remaining on his team before being eliminated by
Big Show. McIntyre entered the 40-man
Royal Rumble match at the
titular event on 30 January 2011, but was eliminated by Big Show. At
Elimination Chamber on 20 February, he participated in the SmackDown
Elimination Chamber match for the
World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by Kane. On 26 April, McIntyre was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the
2011 supplemental draft. On 15 December episode of
Superstars, McIntyre defeated
Justin Gabriel, earning him a contract with
SmackDown. He began wrestling on
SmackDown on 30 December and resumed his tense relationship with general manager
Theodore Long, who put pressure on McIntyre to win matches to justify his contract. McIntyre subsequently began an eight match losing streak going into the new year, after the last of which, Long fired McIntyre within the storyline. A week later, McIntyre was reinstated by guest general manager
John Laurinaitis and ended his losing streak by defeating
Hornswoggle. He was subsequently included on Laurinaitis' team in the 12-man tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVIII on 1 April, helping to earn Laurinaitis control of both Raw and SmackDown. He continued to lose matches and was confined to Superstars and house shows, but still made appearances on
Raw and
SmackDown, albeit in squash matches. When WWE
rebranded its developmental territory, FCW, into
NXT, McIntyre was inserted into the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the inaugural
NXT Champion, where he lost to the eventual winner
Seth Rollins in the quarterfinals on 1 August episode of
NXT. McIntyre also participated in a number one contender fatal four-way elimination match on 7 November episode of
NXT, but was eliminated by
Bo Dallas.
3MB (2012–2014) On 21 September episode of
SmackDown, McIntyre and
Jinder Mahal interfered in a match between
Heath Slater and
Brodus Clay by attacking Clay, aligning themselves with Slater. The trio became known as the Three Man Band, or 3MB for short. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 16 December, after being guests on
Miz TV and harassing the Spanish announce team, 3MB challenged
The Miz and
Alberto Del Rio to find a partner for a six-man tag team match later that night. Miz announced their partner to be the
Brooklyn Brawler and defeated 3MB. The next night on
Raw, 3MB lost to The Miz and Del Rio again with
Tommy Dreamer as their partner. On 31 December episode of
Raw, McIntyre and Slater failed to win the
WWE Tag Team Championship from
Team Hell No (
Daniel Bryan and
Kane). They also lost in the first round of the
NXT Tag Team Championship tournament to
Adrian Neville and
Oliver Grey on 23 January episode of
NXT. . At
Royal Rumble on 27 January 2013, McIntyre was eliminated by
Chris Jericho in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. On 12 April episode of
SmackDown, in an attempt to make a name for themselves, 3MB tried to attack
Triple H, but were attacked themselves by
The Shield (
Dean Ambrose,
Seth Rollins and
Roman Reigns). On 15 April episode of
Raw, 3MB called out The Shield, only for
Brock Lesnar to come out instead and attack the group. McIntyre made his last appearance on 6 April 2014 at
WrestleMania XXX in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and was released from his WWE contract on 12 June.
Return to ICW (2014–2017) Galloway, under his real name, made his first post-WWE appearance on 27 July 2014, returning to work for
Mark Dallas at
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) for the first time in seven years and beginning a feud with
Jack Jester. On 2 November, at ICW's
Fear & Loathing VII event at
The Barrowlands, Galloway defeated Jester in the main event to become a two-time
ICW Heavyweight Champion. He made his first international ICW title defense in Denmark on 20 December in a double championship triple threat match against Dansk Pro Wrestling Champion Michael Fynne and Chaos, both retaining the ICW title and winning the DPW Heavyweight Championship. On 28 March, Galloway made his first defense at
BarraMania in Scotland as "World Champion", defeating
Joe Coffey. On 5 April, Galloway successfully defended the ICW title against Doug Williams at a
Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) show in England. On 11 April, Galloway defeated
Grado to retain the world championship; after the match, both men were attacked by returning former champion Jack Jester. Galloway returned to ICW in February 2016, scoring wins over Mark Coffey,
Noam Dar and
BT Gunn, but losing a match against Chris Renfrew for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. Galloway was out of action from August until November due to a back injury, but appeared on ICW shows in non-wrestling roles to further his feud with Mark Dallas. On 19 November, Galloway announced his departure from ICW due to the severity of his injuries, reconciling with Dallas before attacking him and revealing it to have been a rouse. On 1 February 2018, Galloway was inducted into the ICW Hall of Fame. On 14 June 2024, he made a one-night return to ICW at
After Hours, a day before his match at
Clash at the Castle: Scotland against World Heavyweight Champion
Damian Priest.
Evolve (2014–2017) On 8 August 2014, Galloway debuted for
Evolve, defeating
Chris Hero for the
Evolve Championship. At Evolve 33, he lost a Champion vs Champion match against the
DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate champion,
Ricochet. Galloway continued to defend the Evolve Championship at independent events in the United States against the likes of Caleb Konley,
Stevie Richards, Devin Thomas,
Jimmy Rave, Victor Sterling and
Rich Swann (on Evolve iPPV at Evolve 34), internationally in Scotland against Kid Fite, Johnny Moss,
Big Damo and Andy Wild, and in England over reigning
NWA World Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith Jr. On 9 January 2015, Galloway renamed his title the "Evolve World Championship". Galloway made his first successful defense as world champion the following night against Ricochet at Evolve 37. At Mercury Rising 2015, Galloway defeated
Johnny Gargano for the
Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate Championship in a Title vs Title match, retaining the Evolve Championship to become a double champion. Galloway made a series of defenses of both titles between 4 and 6 April in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, defeating
Marty Scurll, Doug Williams and Joe Hendry, Tron and Luther Valentine in a fatal-four-way match. At Evolve 44, Galloway defeated
Roderick Strong to retain the Evolve Championship. On 10 July, Galloway lost both the Evolve World Championship and the Open the Freedom Gate Championship to
Timothy Thatcher; he had been the longest reigning Evolve champion in history and set the record for most successful title defenses. At Evolve 46, after defeating
Trent Barreta, he was attacked by The Premiere Athlete Brand, but afterwards, uncharacteristically attacked
Andrea, threatened
SoCal Val and assaulted a referee. Galloway was suspended from EVOLVE, but returned at Evolve 51, defeating
FIP World Heavyweight Champion Caleb Konley. At Evolve 52, he failed to regain the Evolve Championship from Thatcher. Between 22 and 24 January 2016, Galloway and Gargano entered a three-day tournament to crown the inaugural
Evolve Tag Team Champions, defeating Catch Point (
Drew Gulak and
T. J. Perkins),
The Bravado Brothers, and
Chris Hero and
Tommy End in the finals to win the tournament and championship. At Evolve 59, they lost the titles to Gulak and
Tracy Williams; after the match, Galloway claimed that he spent his entire title reign as Evolve champion bringing legitimacy to Evolve, only for WWE and more specifically NXT to come and squash everything he did, while also claiming the company's working relationship with WWE was compromising independent wrestling. Galloway then turned on Gargano by attacking him and
Ethan Page, whom he defeated at Evolve 60. Galloway aligned himself with other WWE stars, including
Ethan Carter III, defeating Gargano and TJP in a street fight at Evolve 62 with help from Hero, who joined their group and claimed that
Cody Rhodes would be joining. At Evolve 63, Galloway defeated Page in an "Anything Goes" match. At Evolve 64, a match between Galloway and Gulak was rescheduled as an Evolve Tag Team Championship main event match between Catch Point and Galloway and the returning
Chuck Taylor (now under the name "Dustin"), in which they won the titles, making Galloway the first ever two-time Evolve Tag Team Champion. At Evolve 65, Galloway defeated Gargano. Dustin and Galloway made their first Evolve Tag Team Championship defense at Evolve 67 on 20 August 2016, teaming with EC3 against
Fred Yehi, TJP and Ethan Page (replacement for Tracy Williams) in a no disqualification six man tag-team match, which they lost after EC3 was pinned, also resulting in a title change. Galloway also built a feud with former partner Rhodes and veteran announcer
Joey Styles, after they both refused his invitation to join his "crusade". On 13 November, while Galloway was out with an injury, their replacement, Hero, lost the Evolve Tag Team Championship. However, it was announced that, despite supposed champions Catch Point holding the physical belts, Evolve continued to recognize Galloway and Dustin as the Evolve Tag Team Champions.
Return to the independent circuit (2014–2017) In April 2015, Galloway won the Scottish Wrestling Alliance's
Scottish Heavyweight Championship and held it until November. He returned to Mexico in November to main-event a series of AAA affiliated shows, working three six-man tag matches against
Rey Mysterio,
Blue Demon and
Dr. Wagner Jr.; his partners included
Matt Cross,
Carlito and
Brodus Clay. receiving his championship opportunity in a triple threat match with
Sha Samuels and Noam Dar, but lost after Samuels submitted Dar. Galloway competed in his first official match for TNA on 6 March, answering the Beat Down Clan's challenge and defeating
Kenny King. On 27 March episode of
Impact Wrestling, he formed the stable "The Rising" with
Eli Drake and
Micah. On 10 April episode of
Impact Wrestling, The Rising defeated The BDC by disqualification when a masked man (
Homicide) ran out and attacked Galloway. At
Hardcore Justice on 1 May, Galloway defeated Low Ki in a Steel Pipe on a Pole match. At
Slammiversary on 28 June, Galloway competed in the
King of the Mountain match for the vacant
TNA King of the Mountain Championship in a losing effort. On 1 July episode of
Impact Wrestling, The Beat Down Clan defeated The Rising in a 4-on-3 handicap match, forcing The Rising to dissolve. . On 15 July episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway won a 20-man battle royal to face
Ethan Carter III for the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship later that night, but lost after his former The Rising teammate Eli Drake attacked him. Galloway lost to Drake at
No Surrender on 5 August but won a No Disqualification rematch at
Turning Point on 19 August. On 16 September episode of
Impact Wrestling, Team TNA (Galloway,
Bobby Lashley,
Davey Richards,
Eddie Edwards and
Bram) defeated Team GFW (
Jeff Jarrett,
Eric Young,
Chris Mordetzky,
Brian Myers and
Sonjay Dutt) in a
Lethal Lockdown match to oust GFW from TNA when Galloway pinned Myers after a
Future Shock DDT onto a trash can. On 23 September episode of
Impact Wrestling, after winning a five-way elimination match against Bram, Lashley, Richards and Edwards; Galloway became the number one contender for Ethan Carter III's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. At
Bound for Glory on 4 October, Galloway competed in a three-way match for the world title, which was won by
Matt Hardy. During October and November, Galloway participated in the
TNA World Title Series for the vacant title, which he qualified to the round of 16 by defeating
Bram,
Rockstar Spud and
Grado. However, he failed to advance past the round of 8 after he was defeated by Lashley, thus being eliminated from the TNA World Title Series. Galloway entered a short-lived storyline with
Kurt Angle; on 8 January 2016 at
TNA One Night Only: Live, Galloway and Angle competed in a 3-Way
TNA World Tag Team Championship match, which
The Wolves won. On 12 January episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway lost to Angle. Galloway earned a future TNA World Heavyweight Championship match by grabbing the briefcase that contained said title shot in the 2016
Feast or Fired match. They faced off in a rematch in Manchester, England on 9 February episode of
Impact Wrestling, which Galloway won. After the match, he bowed before Angle, showing respect due to it being part of Angle's farewell tour. On 15 March episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway cashed in his
Feast or Fired briefcase on Matt Hardy to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career, thus becoming the first-ever Scottish-born TNA World Heavyweight Champion. On 5 April episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway defeated Matt Hardy in a rematch to retain the title. At
Sacrifice on 26 April, Galloway overcame rib injuries inflicted from having been repeatedly speared by Lashley to retain his title over
Bound for Gold winner
Tyrus. On 17 May episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway won a lumberjack match against Lashley, who was at the time the number one contender, by disqualification after he was dragged from the ring and assaulted by the heel lumberjacks, thus retaining his championship. Galloway lost the title to Lashley at
Slammiversary on 12 June, ending his reign at 89 days. Galloway was twice unsuccessful in regaining his championship from Lashley due to the involvement of Ethan Carter III, leading to an unsanctioned fight at
Destination X on 12 July which ended in a no contest. Galloway was one of the eight men to enter the
Bound for Glory Playoff tournament to challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at
Bound for Glory. On 22 July episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway defeated Bram in the first round of the tournament but was eliminated from the semi-finals by
Mike Bennett following interference from
Moose and a third inadvertent collision with EC3. On 25 August episode of
Impact Wrestling, after losing to EC3 for a world title shot against Lashley at Bound for Glory, Galloway attacked special guest referee
Aron Rex, turning heel in the process. Galloway then joined the qualifying tournament for the inaugural
Impact Grand Championship. After defeating
Braxton Sutter in the quarterfinals and Eddie Edwards (via split decision) in the semi-finals, he was scheduled to face Rex in the finals at Bound for Glory to crown the first Grand Champion, but due to an injury he was replaced by Edwards. On 8 December episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway made his return by interrupting the Impact Grand Champion
Moose and criticising the company. On 19 January 2017 episode of
Impact Wrestling, Galloway defeated Moose to win the Impact Grand Championship. Galloway retained the title against Moose in a rematch at
Genesis on 27 January and Mahabali Shera on 9 February episode of
Impact Wrestling. On 26 February, Galloway confirmed that he had parted ways with TNA. He lost the championship back to Moose via split decision in a second rematch on 2 March episode of
Impact Wrestling.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2015–2016) Galloway debuted for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in August 2015, competing in the
Battle of Los Angeles tournament. He was eliminated by eventual finalist "Speedball" Mike Bailey on Night 2, before teaming with
Chuck Taylor,
Aero Star,
Drew Gulak and Trent in a winning ten-man tag effort the following night, against Timothy Thatcher,
Andrew Everett,
Drago,
Mark Andrews and
Tommaso Ciampa. He returned to PWG on 2 January 2016, for
Lemmy, where he scored his first PWG singles victory over former
PWG World Tag Team Champion Jack Evans.
Return to WWE NXT Champion (2017–2018) On 1 April 2017, Galloway, once again billed as Drew McIntyre, was shown on-screen sitting in the front row at
NXT TakeOver: Orlando. It was later confirmed in an exclusive interview with
ESPN that he had re-signed with
WWE, and would perform in its
developmental territory NXT. On 12 April episode of
NXT, McIntyre made his NXT re-debut as a
fan favorite, with new entrance music and displaying mannerisms he had developed on the independent circuit, defeating
Oney Lorcan. On 19 July episode of
NXT, McIntyre defeated
Killian Dain to become the number one contender for the
NXT Championship, which he won by defeating
Bobby Roode at
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III on 19 August. After the match, McIntyre was attacked by
Bobby Fish,
Kyle O'Reilly, and the debuting
Adam Cole. On 4 October episode of
NXT, McIntyre successfully defended the title against
Roderick Strong. The following month, McIntyre began a feud with
Andrade "Cien" Almas, leading to general manager
William Regal scheduling a championship match at
NXT TakeOver: WarGames on 18 November. The night before that event, McIntyre defeated
Adam Cole to retain the title, with
Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee at a house show in San Antonio, Texas. The title defense eventually aired on the
WWE Network on 3 January 2018. McIntyre lost the NXT Championship to Almas at WarGames, marking his first loss in NXT and ending his reign at 91 days. It was then revealed that McIntyre suffered a torn bicep towards the end of the match.
Return to the main roster (2018–2019) in August 2019. McIntyre returned from injury on the 16 April 2018 episode of
Raw during the
Superstar Shake-up, attacking Titus Worldwide (
Apollo Crews and
Titus O'Neil), and aligning with
Dolph Ziggler, turning
heel and officially joining
Raw in the process. McIntyre assisted Ziggler during his feud with
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins and they won the
Raw Tag Team Championship from The B-Team (
Bo Dallas and
Curtis Axel) on 3 September episode of
Raw, beginning their first reign together and McIntyre's second reign individually. McIntyre and Ziggler retained the titles against Rollins and
Dean Ambrose at
Hell in a Cell on 16 September. At
Super Show-Down on 6 October, McIntyre, Ziggler, and
Braun Strowman lost to
The Shield (Dean Ambrose,
Roman Reigns and Rollins). On 22 October episode of
Raw, McIntyre and Ziggler lost the titles to Rollins and Ambrose after Strowman attacked McIntyre. On 18 November, at
Survivor Series, McIntyre competed as part of Team Raw in the
Survivor Series match, where he, Bobby Lashley and Strowman were the survivors for Team Raw. On 3 December episode of
Raw, McIntyre and Ziggler's alliance ended after McIntyre claimed that Ziggler was "a means to an end to get him into a prominent position". This led to an impromptu match between the two, which Ziggler won after interference from
Finn Bálor, thus giving McIntyre his first pinfall loss since his return to the main roster. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 16 December, McIntyre lost to Bálor after interference from Ziggler. On 31 December episode of
Raw, McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a steel cage match, ending their feud. At the
Royal Rumble on 27 January 2019, McIntyre entered the Royal Rumble match at number 16, but was eliminated by Ziggler. At
Fastlane on 10 March, McIntyre,
Baron Corbin and Lashley lost to The Shield. The next night on
Raw, McIntyre viciously assaulted Roman Reigns before his match with Corbin, leading to a falls count anywhere match with Dean Ambrose later that night, which McIntyre won. At
WrestleMania 35 on 7 April, McIntyre lost to Reigns. On 6 May episode of
Raw, McIntyre interrupted Reigns and demanded a WrestleMania rematch, which Reigns accepted and won by disqualification. After this, McIntyre became the enforcer of
Shane McMahon. At
Stomping Grounds on 23 June, McIntyre again lost to Reigns despite interference from McMahon. On 14 July, McIntyre and McMahon lost to Reigns and
The Undertaker in a
No Holds Barred tag team match at
Extreme Rules, ending their feud. Following the event, McIntyre ended his association with McMahon. In August, McIntyre competed in the
King of the Ring tournament, but was eliminated in the first round by
Ricochet. On 21 October episode of
Raw, he was revealed as a member of
Ric Flair's team at
Crown Jewel on 31 October, but they lost to
Team Hogan. At
Survivor Series on 24 November, McIntyre made up part of Team Raw in a losing effort to Team SmackDown in a 5-on-5-on-5 Survivor Series match, also involving Team NXT.
WWE Champion (2020–2021) At
Royal Rumble on 26 January 2020, McIntyre won the Royal Rumble match, earning himself a championship opportunity at
WrestleMania 36. In the match, McIntyre eliminated six participants, including
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, who he challenged for the title the next night on
Raw, cementing his face turn in the process. On Night 2 of WrestleMania on 5 April, McIntyre defeated Lesnar in the main event to capture the WWE Championship. He made his first successful title defense against
Big Show on the same night, which was televised the following night on
Raw. McIntyre successfully defended the WWE Championship against Seth Rollins at
Money in the Bank on 10 May,
Bobby Lashley at
Backlash on 14 June, and Ziggler at
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on 19 July. He then transitioned into a feud with
Randy Orton for the title, culminating in successful defenses at
SummerSlam on 23 August and in an
Ambulance match at
Clash of Champions on 27 September. At
Hell in a Cell on 25 October, McIntyre lost the title to Orton in a
Hell in a Cell match, ending his first reign at 203 days (202 days as recognised by WWE). On 16 November episode of
Raw, McIntyre regained the WWE Championship from Orton in a
no disqualification match, ending their feud. As a result, he took Orton's place to face
Universal Champion Roman Reigns at
Survivor Series on 22 November in an interbrand champion vs. champion match, which McIntyre lost via technical submission after interference from
Jey Uso. On 20 December, McIntyre successfully defended the title against
A.J. Styles and
The Miz, who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, in a triple threat
tables, ladders, and chairs match at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. After retaining the title against
Keith Lee on 4 January 2021 episode of
Raw, a rematch between McIntyre and Orton on 11 January was cancelled after McIntyre tested positive for
COVID-19. He retained the title against
Goldberg at
Royal Rumble on 31 January. At
Elimination Chamber on 21 February, McIntyre successfully defended the title in an
Elimination Chamber match against Orton, Sheamus,
Jeff Hardy, Styles and Kofi Kingston. After the match, he was attacked by Bobby Lashley and The Miz, who cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase (that he got reinstated due to a loophole in the contract), performing the
Skull-Crushing Finale to pin McIntyre and win the WWE Championship, ending his second reign at 97 days (96 days as recognised by WWE). At
Fastlane on 21 March, McIntyre defeated Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match. McIntyre then failed to regain the WWE Championship from Lashley at Night 1 of
WrestleMania 37 on 10 April,
WrestleMania Backlash on 16 May in a triple threat match also involving Braun Strowman, and
Hell in a Cell on 20 June inside the namesake structure.
Various feuds and alliances (2021–2023) On 18 July at
Money in the Bank, McIntyre competed in the
namesake ladder match, but failed to win the briefcase after being attacked by
Jinder Mahal,
Veer, and
Shanky. At
SummerSlam on 21 August, McIntyre defeated Mahal with Veer and Shanky banned from ringside. As part of the
2021 Draft, McIntyre was drafted to the
SmackDown brand. At
Crown Jewel on 21 October, McIntyre faced
Big E for the WWE Championship, but lost. On 21 November, at
Survivor Series, McIntyre was the captain of Team SmackDown, but he was eliminated via countout and his team lost the match to Team Raw, with Seth Rollins being the sole survivor. In December, McIntyre started feuding with
Happy Corbin and
Madcap Moss, defeating Moss at
Day 1 on 1 January 2022. McIntyre participated in the
Royal Rumble match at the
namesake event on 29 January, but was the last competitor eliminated by eventual winner
Brock Lesnar. At
Elimination Chamber on 19 February, McIntyre defeated Moss again in a Falls Count Anywhere match. During the match, he performed an inverted
Alabama Slam, which resulted in Moss landing directly on top of his head, but he was able to continue the match. On Night 1 of
WrestleMania 38 on 2 April, McIntyre defeated Corbin and became the first person to kick out of his finisher, the
End of Days, ending their feud. On 29 July episode of
SmackDown, McIntyre defeated Sheamus in a "
Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook" match to become the number one contender for the
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at
Clash at the Castle on 3 September. In the weeks leading up to the event, McIntyre was attacked by the returning
Karrion Kross and his wife
Scarlett. At Clash at the Castle, McIntyre failed to win the titles from Reigns after interference from the debuting
Solo Sikoa. On 8 October, McIntyre lost to Kross in a
strap match at
Extreme Rules after interference from Scarlett. At
Crown Jewel on 5 November, McIntyre defeated Kross in a steel cage match by escaping the cage despite another interference from Scarlett, ending their feud. Three weeks later at
Survivor Series: WarGames on 26 November, McIntyre, along with
The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus,
Ridge Holland and
Butch) and
Kevin Owens lost to
The Bloodline in a
WarGames match. At
Royal Rumble on 28 January 2023, McIntyre entered the titular match at number 9, scoring four eliminations before being eliminated by
Gunther. He would then challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on Night 2 of
WrestleMania 39 on 2 April in a critically acclaimed triple threat match also involving Sheamus, which he lost after Gunther pinned him. As part of the
2023 Draft, McIntyre was drafted to the
Raw brand. He returned at
Money in the Bank on 1 July after a three-month hiatus, attacking Gunther following the latter's title defense over
Matt Riddle. At
SummerSlam on 5 August, McIntyre failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Gunther.
World championship pursuits and reigns (2023–present) . In September, McIntyre slowly transitioned into a
tweener, showing a more aggressive attitude towards fighting for himself instead of others. He also refused to side with
Cody Rhodes,
Sami Zayn, and other faces on the roster accepting
Jey Uso as a good standing member of the locker room after his actions as part of The Bloodline. At
Crown Jewel on 4 November, McIntyre faced
Seth "Freakin" Rollins for the
World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. On 13 November episode of
Raw, McIntyre turned heel by helping
The Judgment Day (
Finn Bálor and
Damian Priest) retain the
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against Rhodes and Uso. At
Survivor Series: WarGames on 25 November, McIntyre and The Judgment Day lost to Rhodes, Rollins, Uso, Zayn and the returning
Randy Orton in a WarGames match. McIntyre again failed to win the title from Rollins on 1 January at
Day 1. At
Royal Rumble on 27 January 2024, during the Royal Rumble match, McIntyre legitimately injured
CM Punk's triceps after a botched landing of his signature
Future Shock DDT. The injury was turned into a storyline between the two, as McIntyre continuously mocked Punk for causing his injury. At
Elimination Chamber: Perth on 24 February, McIntyre won the Elimination Chamber match by last eliminating Orton, earning another rematch against Rollins at
WrestleMania XL. On Night 2 of WrestleMania XL on 7 April, McIntyre defeated Rollins to win the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Punk attacked McIntyre, allowing
Damian Priest to cash in his
Money in the Bank contract on McIntyre, ending his reign after only five minutes and forty-six seconds. He failed to regain the title from Priest at
Clash at the Castle: Scotland on 15 June and
Money in the Bank on 6 July after interference from Punk. McIntyre and Punk then had a trilogy of matches, the first at
SummerSlam on 3 August with Rollins as the special guest referee where McIntyre defeated Punk, the second at
Bash in Berlin on 31 August where McIntyre lost in a strap match, and the third and final match at
Bad Blood on 5 October, where McIntyre lost to Punk in a universally acclaimed
Hell in a Cell match, ending their near ten-month trilogy feud. .|250x250px In 2025, McIntyre started a feud with
Damian Priest after Priest eliminated him at
Royal Rumble, and
Elimination Chamber: Toronto, leading to a match at
WrestleMania 41, where McIntyre defeated Priest in a
Sin City Street Fight. At
Saturday Night's Main Event on 24 May, McIntyre and Priest faced off in a rematch contested as a
Steel Cage match, which he lost when Priest escaped the cage. Following a short hiatus, McIntyre returned on the 4 July episode of
SmackDown, and feuded with Randy Orton, being defeated by him at
Saturday Night's Main Event on 12 July, but defeating him and
Jelly Roll on Night 1 of
SummerSlam on 2 August with
Logan Paul as his tag team partner. McIntyre wrestled Cody Rhodes for the
Undisputed WWE Championship at
Wrestlepalooza on 20 September and
Saturday Night's Main Event XLI on 1 November, but failed to win the title on both occasions. At
Survivor Series: WarGames on 29 November, he teamed with
Brock Lesnar, Logan Paul, and
The Vision (
Bron Breakker and
Bronson Reed) to defeat Rhodes, Punk, Roman Reigns, and
The Usos (Jey Uso and
Jimmy Uso) in a
WarGames match. McIntyre then faced Rhodes again for the title on 9 January 2026 episode of
SmackDown in a
Three Stages of Hell match where McIntyre defeated Rhodes, thanks to interference from
Jacob Fatu, to win his third WWE Championship. On 31 January at
Royal Rumble, he defeated Sami Zayn to retain the title, and later interfered in the namesake match to attack Rhodes, leading to his elimination. McIntyre also interfered and caused Rhodes to be eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match at the
titular event on 28 February, thus preventing Rhodes from challenging him for the title at
WrestleMania 42. However, due to McIntyre's constant interferences in Rhodes's attempts to earn a title match, SmackDown General Manager
Nick Aldis scheduled McIntyre to defend the title against Rhodes on the 6 March episode of
SmackDown, where McIntyre lost after interference from Fatu, ending his third reign at 56 days. On 13 March 2026, during an episode of WWE SmackDown, Drew McIntyre demanded a championship match against Cody Rhodes. The request was rejected by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, prompting McIntyre to announce that he was quitting WWE and leave the arena. Later that night, McIntyre returned during a match between Trick Williams and Jacob Fatu, attacking Fatu and allowing Williams to secure the victory. McIntyre then continued the assault on Fatu after the match. At
Wrestlemania 42 Night 1 on 18 April, McIntyre lost to Fatu in a Unsanctioned Match ending their feud. == Professional wrestling style and persona ==