Drew McIntyre's 2020 Royal Rumble victory was a star-making performance.
After being released by WWE in 2014, McIntyre returned to the company three years later, dominating in NXT before eventually moving up to the main roster and forming an alliance with Dolph Ziggler. After a year of failed partnerships, big match losses, and little forward progress, McIntyre took some time to reset.
Drew's 2020 started off hot and he would ride that momentum all the way to the Royal Rumble where, after entering 16th, he would go on to win the whole thing. He eventually challenged Brock Lesnar to a WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania 36, winning the belt for the first time in his career.
Speaking with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, McIntyre described how he felt backstage before entering the Rumble, comparing it to Lady Gaga's Ally character in the Oscar-nominated 'A Star Is Born.'
“If you remember that scene in ‘A Star Is Born,’ [Lady Gaga] had this moment at the side of the stage, thinking, ‘That's my song. It's now or never. Am I going to do this?’ That's how I felt backstage as I was waiting for the music to hit. I was like, ‘This is the moment.’ Boom, the music hit, and I marched into the ring with all the intensity I've ever had in my entire life, ready to beat up Brock," Drew said.
Unfortunately for Drew, the COVID-19 pandemic hit shortly after his Rumble victory, meaning there would be no one in attendance to see him win the Championship. His entire reign took place in front of an empty arena and as a result, he's still chasing that special moment to share with an audience.
“Three hundred days I was champion, collectively, and I don't understand what it's like because there was nobody there when I became champion,” McIntyre said. “I'm very proud of everything that I did during those times; we needed somebody to step up and be the leader. I'm very proud it was me, but I'm still chasing that moment.”
Drew was recently drafted to SmackDown in the 2021 WWE Draft and has made it clear that he intends to challenge Roman Reigns for his Universal Championship at some point in the near future. He will be making his debut on the blue brand tonight, October 22nd.
Fightful will have live coverage of SmackDown beginning at 8 p.m. EST with a post-show review at 11 p.m. EST.
