It sucks for Drew McIntyre right now.
He’s no longer the Undisputed WWE Champion, doesn’t have a date in the main event of WrestleMania 42 locked down next month in Las Vegas, and simply put — kinda got screwed over by the ‘ol Triple H-led creative team in WWE.
This week on SmackDown, Drew McIntyre lost his championship to Cody Rhodes in a main event that included assistance from Jacob Fatu. After being cheated out of a spot in the Men’s Elimination Chamber match by McIntyre a few weeks ago, Fatu got his retribution this week, prevented McIntyre from illegally using a steel chair to retain the title, and ended up costing him the match.
A lack of options for Drew McIntyre
This title run for McIntyre only lasted 56 days. So, yeah, sucks. But, it’s totally ok and better for WrestleMania.
Look, WWE didn’t have good options for Drew McIntyre as the champion at WrestleMania 42. Plain and simple. McIntyre vs. Rhodes? I think they’ve done that one before? I kid, of course they have, which is why running it back as a WrestleMania main event would have been a mistake.
McIntyre vs. Randy Orton? A fine WrestleMania match, but not main event level. Same thing with Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu in a singles match. A helluva match, but not a main event. Sami Zayn? That just happened at the Royal Rumble and it’s pretty clear WWE wants Zayn’s run to his first world championship to be a long journey that can generate some coin.
The only real options with McIntyre as champion going into WrestleMania would have been a multi-person match of some kind. Something that included Cody Rhodes — now, current champion. So, McIntyre vs. Rhodes vs. Orton, or McIntyre vs. Rhodes vs. Fatu, or hell, a gigantic five-way match with McIntyre, Rhodes, Orton, Fatu, and Zayn.
They could have squeezed something like that in this year, but c’mon, multi-person matches at WrestleMania aren’t ideal and say more about the inability to book a singles match rather than the intrigue of multiple stars in the ring at the same time with the top prize on the line.
The proper sacrifice
WrestleMania is better when the top matches are singles bouts and Drew McIntyre was the proper sacrifice to make in order to deliver on that reality.
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton in a singles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship is bigger than any potential match that McIntyre had on the table. WWE has laid the ground work on it for years and it has history dating all the way back to when Rhodes and Orton were in Legacy together. It’s a marquee match and that’s always what WrestleMania needs.
Plus, there is storyline intrigue there now. The WWE audience isn’t warm and fuzzy for Rhodes at the moment, so there’s potential for massive Cody backlash in Las Vegas in an attempt to cheer on the beloved Orton as he attempts to secure his 15th world championship.
So, yeah. It sucks for Drew McIntyre, but that’s the way it is. This year, McIntyre reminds me of Edge back in 2006 before WrestleMania 22. Edge was an key player for WWE that year, but by the time WrestleMania rolled around, he was the odd man out. Instead of a championship match, Edge wrestled Mick Foley in a wild hardcore match that fans still talk about and shield their eyes from today.
Take the singles spotlight
McIntyre is primed up for a match against Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania this year and that singles spotlight — like it was for Edge at WrestleMania 22 — has more long term positive impact for both guys than any multi-person match would have.
Unquestionably, McIntyre has had a stellar year for WWE. On a SmackDown show that dragged when it was two hours and now crawls at three, McIntyre was a bright spot, giving the show a breath of fresh air, authenticity, and intensity. He’s the SmackDown MVP, but the WrestleMania main event isn’t a contest, it’s a business decision.
Should Drew McIntyre be in the main event of WrestleMania this year? Let us know in the comments!
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I feel bad for Drew, but it was the right business move. I hope he and Jacob tear down the house at Mania.
I don't watch Smackdown. Worth watching the match?