Drew McIntyre had an amazing Royal Rumble this year, eliminating Brock Lesnar after the beast tossed out 13 wrestlers, and then he went on to eliminate Roman Reigns to earn the victory and the right to face the champion he wanted in the main event of WrestleMania. He has selected Brock Lesnar, and in Tampa Bay this year, he could fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming WWE Champion. His road to this moment has had many twists and turns and fans who don’t know Drew McInutrye might be surprised by these little known facts about a wrestle who has had to face a lot in his career to work his way to the top of the WWE.
Check out these little known facts about the Scottish wrestler who traveled the world to become the best wrestler he could, who went from the chosen one to being released from WWE, and working his way back into the company.
16 He Started With WWE in 2007
If you are a new WWE fan, you likely didn't see Drew McIntyre’s first run with the WWE. He started back in 2007, which included an early run in Florida Championship Wrestling before getting a call up in 2009. You probably wouldn’t even recognize him, as he definitely had a more clean-cut look and was much smaller.
15 He Was A Champion In WWE Before
It may be surprising for some who only know Drew McIntyre from his run now that he has actually been a champion in WWE already. In fact, if he beats Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship, he will be a Triple Crown winner, as he won the Intercontinental title in 2009, and the tag team titles in 2010 with Cody Rhodes.
14 He Was The Chosen One By Vince
During his first run with the WWE, Drew McIntyre was named the Chosen One by none other than Vince McMahon himself. It’s said that McIntyre reminded Vince of himself and thought he would be a future World Champion. Well, Vince wasn’t wrong, if Drew beats Brock at WrestleMania, but the timing was way off.
13 First WrestleMania Was 2010
While Drew McIntyre will most likely headline WrestleMania this year with Brock Lesnar, it’s not his first WrestleMania match. His first was actually in 2010 when he competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match that Jack Swagger one. That WrestleMania was headlined by Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels in their rematch.
12 Was a WWE Jobber
Despite being the Chosen One, McIntyre had a steady fall in WWE and eventually joined Junger Mahal and Heath Slater in 3MB, which turned out to be a jobber faction. It’s sad to think that McIntyre today was used as nothing more than enhancement talent, but he could be the second member of 3MB to be a WWE Champion after Jinder won it a few years ago.
11 Evolve Champion
After he was released from WWE, Drew McIntyre went to the indies and got off to a very fast start, as he won the Evolve Champion in his first match, defeating Chris Hero, better known today as Kassius Ohno, for the title in his first match outside WWE. From jobber to champion in just a few months.
10 Was A Double Champion Twice
After leaving WWE, Drew would become a double champion twice in his independent career. The first in Insane Championship Wrestling, where he won the ICW Heavyweight Championship and then won the Danish Pro Wrestling championship a few months later. While holding the Evolve title, he would win the Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate Championship from Johnny Gargano. So actually he held four world titles at once.
9 World Wide Independent Circuit
One thing Drew McIntyre was known for was being an international wrestler. He would travel the world taking as many matches as he could. He told Edge and Christian on their podcast that after he was let go from WWE, he used every opportunity to get better and that meant taking bookings all over the world.
8 TNA World Champion
Drew would sign with TNA Wrestling in 2015 and it would take him only a year to win the TNA Championship, as he cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase against then-champion Matt Hardy and would win to become the first Scottish-born TNA Champion. He would defend the title across Europe and the US.
7 First Previous Star To Win NXT Gold
The road would eventually lead back to the WWE, and Drew McIntyre would resign with WWE in 2017 and by choice, go to NXT. He would face Bobby Roode at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III and with the NXT Championship, becoming the first person who had previously been on the main roster in WWE to win an NXT championship.
6 Earned His Degree
When Drew expressed his desire to be a wrestler, his parents agreed to help him, which included driving him to matches 12 hours away. But he also had to get a degree. McIntyre finished his degree and would get a master’s degree in Criminology from Glasgow Caledonian University. So he has a back up if he needs it.
5 He’s Been Married Twice
Drew married wrestler Taryn Terrell, better known in the WWE as Tiffany, back in 2009. That didn’t last long and he would divorce in 2011. He then married Kaitlyn Frohnapfel in December 2016. She is said to be a fitness trainer. They got engaged in Las Vegas in 2016 and she isn’t in the business.
4 Freedom of Information Act
As a 10-year-old boy in Scotland, Drew read an X Factor magazine about conspiracy theories and ghost stories. So he wrote a letter to the FBI in the US under the Freedom of Information Act, and the FBI actually sent him a file of several documents. His dad wasn’t happy the FBI were sending his son documents, and more shocked they would send it a young boy.
3 His First Win Was With NXT UK Star
Drew McIntyre started wrestling back in 2001 and would have his first win in 2003. He would team with NXT UK star, and member of Gallus, Wolfgang in a tag team victory over Blade and Stu Pendous. With a name like Stu Pendous, losing to him could easily set back his career.
2 Long-Time Rivalry With Sheamus
One WWE wrestler who keeps showing up in Drew McIntyre’s life is former WWE Champion Sheamus. With Drew being from Scotland and Sheamus from Ireland, there was obviously some UK pride on the line and it helped that they were both wrestlers in Ireland at the time, which helped grow their feud.
1 His Finisher Was An Accident
Drew McIntyre didn’t always use the Claymore as his finishing move. He used various slams before using the Claymore during his run with 3MB. But it was a complete accident, as he was trying for a big boot, but his pants were so tight that he couldn’t extend and ended up falling through on the kick. He thought it looked cool and kept it as his finisher.