Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
In WWE, he is a one-time Intercontinental Champion and two-time WWE (Raw) Tag Team Champion. Outside of WWE, he has performed as Drew Galloway most notably with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a one-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion and one-time Impact Grand Champion. He has also wrestled extensively on the independent scene. He is a two-time ICW World Heavyweight Champion with Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW),[5] a one-time Evolve Champion, one-time Open the Freedom Gate Champion, a two-time Evolve Tag Team Champion with Evolve, and a one-time WCPW Champion.
Galloway returned to WWE in April 2017 and joined the developmental brand NXT, first appearing at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. He won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, becoming the first man to win the title in his TakeOver in-ring debut as well as the first WWE Superstar to hold it after having previously won a main roster championship. Upon returning to the main roster in 2018, he won the Raw Tag Team Championship with Dolph Ziggler, and won the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match.
Early life
Andrew McLean Galloway IV[6] was born on 6 June 1985 in Ayr, Ayrshire.[1] His mother, Angela, died on 3 November 2012 at the age of 51.[7] Galloway grew up in Prestwick, Ayrshire, where he studied at Prestwick Academy.[8] He considered being a professional football player when he was younger. He played for the youth club Prestwick Boys, normally in defensive positions, before concentrating on wrestling. When he was 10 years old, he read a magazine named X Factor, which focused on conspiracy theories and ghost stories; this prompted him to write a letter to the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act, to which the FBI responded by sending him a file with several documents.[9] He began training for a professional wrestling career at the age of 15, and his parents agreed to support him as long as he gave the same amount of focus to his studies.[9] He agreed, and would go on to earn a master's degree in criminology from Glasgow Caledonian University.[10]
Professional wrestling career
Training and early career (2001–2006)
Galloway began training for professional wrestling at the age of 15[1] at the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's Academy when his family moved to the south of England to Portsmouth.[11] In the FWA Academy, while he was trained by the promotion's operator Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and James Tighe, Galloway also cites the promotion's established wrestlers helping out with training, including Doug Williams, Paul Burchill and Alex Shane.[3]
In 2003, Galloway made his debut for the inaugural show of British Championship Wrestling (BCW), operating in the Greater Glasgow area. While there he honed his wrestling skill further, training under Colin McKay and later Spinner McKenzie[3] and developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky narcissist.[12] His first match, which took place at February's No Blood, No Sympathy: Night 1, saw him lose against Stu Natt.[13] He picked up his first win on the second night in a tag team match alongside Wolfgang, defeating Blade and Stu Pendous.[14] By December, Galloway was managed by Charles Boddington, who aided him in his first significant success and would manage him for the next four years. On 5 December, Boddington announced that BCW Heavyweight Champion Spinner McKenzie had been fired and would be stripped of the title; Boddington then instantly gave the belt to Galloway.[15] Stevie Knight took exception to this and challenged him to a match that very night at Bad Tidings: Night 1, winning the championship.[16] Galloway earned a non-title win over Knight the following February in 2004, at Night of The Fan[17] but Knight exacted revenge by knocking Galloway out of the King of BCW tournament.[18]
Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he was defeated by The Honky Tonk Man[19] and later that month lost in a tag team match to Marty Jannetty and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side.[20] In November at the aptly titled Lo Down, Galloway main evented in a double countout match against D'Lo Brown.[21] He then had a brief series of feuds, as in March 2005 he defeated Jay Phoenix[22] but their rematch in November, officiated by Mick Foley, ended in a no contest.[23] In May 2006 after their lengthy feud in Irish Whip Wrestling, Galloway lost[24] then won in successive matches against long-term rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy.[25]
Independent circuit (2006–2007)
In November 2006, Galloway teamed with Lionheart in the main event of Live in East Kilbride and pinned BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander who was tagging with Wolfgang.[26] This put him in contention for the title at December's No Blood, No Sympathy IV. The match was booked as an "I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee with Galloway gaining his second BCW Heavyweight Championship.[15][27][28] He held the title through most of 2007, with successful defences over Martin Stone, Allan Grogan and Lionheart, before vacating it[15] after he relocated to the United States in September.[1]
After gaining momentum in Scotland, Galloway began wrestling dates across the Republic of Ireland with Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) continuing to use "Thee" Drew Galloway as his gimmick. With Charles Boddington still in his corner, he competed in three contests during his first appearance on 23 July 2005 for Whiplash TV.[12] After losing to "SOS" Sheamus O'Shaunessy[29] he found a similar fate against Mad Man Manson, sparking a feud between the two.[12] Despite these two losses, his status abroad meant he was already booked in a Ten-Man Gauntlet match to determine the top contender for the main title. Galloway was whitewashed the entire evening, losing to Vic Viper.[29] The following day at Gym Wars Manson was absent so Galloway tried to avenge his loss with O'Shaunessy but it ended in a double count-out.[30] Over the next few months Galloway recruited various wrestlers, even his manager Boddington, in a series of tag team and even handicap tag team matches against Manson and his teams.[31][32][33] He picked up his first victory in October against Sean South in a warm-up for that event's main event six-man tag team match.[32] The rivalry between Galloway and Manson was finally settled in November at IWW's final show from the SFX Theatre. Their brutal and bloody Street Fight saw Galloway gain respect from for his tenacity and endurance[12] but his losing streak continued.
With his rivalry against Manson settled in their Street Fight and despite having only won one match with the company, Galloway was given a shot at the IWW International Heavyweight Championship owing to his show stealing performances with Manson.[12] On 28 January 2006 he received his first title match against Sheamus O'Shaunessy, evolving their rivalry from previous battles.[35] The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing O'Shaunessy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the Old Firm football derby between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic, respectively.[12] This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club once again for the title, though the match changed into a Lumberjack match, the result and champion remained the same.[36] Galloway remained focussed, proving his dominance and determination for the championship by defeating JC Williams and Brian Roche in a handicap match on 17 March.[37] This match earned him a two out of three falls match against the champion the following day in which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one;[38] the next day produced the same result.[39] Again Galloway proved himself a fierce competitor, twice making Vic Viper acquiesce in "I Quit" matches in April.[40][41] With their rivalry intensifying, Galloway's next challenge to O'Shaunessy was given the stipulation of a Last Man Standing match. Once again, the Irish native retained the title,[42] as he also did in June with the same stipulation.[43]
On 28 August 2006, Galloway finally managed to beat the reigning Irishman and won the IWW International Heavyweight Championship in a singles match.[44][45] He successfully defended the belt that evening against Go Shiozaki.[12][43] In November, Galloway took the championship to London, England in November against Jody Fleisch,[46][47] However, Galloway was not able to commit to fully defending the title, due to other bookings in his homeland and his academic studies, he was thus forced to relinquish the championship in January 2007.[12][48]
While BCW became his home promotion and he made regular appearances for IWW, Galloway made several appearances around the independent circuit. In 2004, he appeared for the fledgling International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK) at their aptly titled Show 2.[49] Despite losing to Aviv Maayan in his first showing,[50] by the time he returned in May 2005 his reputation made him notorious enough to compete in their main event Five Way Elimination match to determine the best of British heavyweights. Galloway was eliminated first by Andy Boy Simmonz with a small package pin.[51]
In between studying, Gallow competed in several tours of All Star Wrestling[1] against competitors including TJ Wilson, PN Neuz, Chad Collyer and Brody Steele during 2006.[52] On 15 October 2006, Galloway competed in Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) debut show Fear & Loathing, defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a three-way 30-minute Iron Man match to become the first ICW Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for 280 days, ultimately losing it to Darkside on 22 July 2007 in a five-man elimination match that also involved Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.
Despite it being his only match (he was used twice) for NWA: Scottish Wrestling Alliance (NWA:SWA), Galloway represented Team SWA against Team Sinner in the titular match for the March 2006 Clan Wars event, being eliminated first by Highlander who was using the ropes.[53] At the end of the month he appeared at the inaugural event for Premier British Wrestling (PBW) earning a shot to become the first PBW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Allan Grogan but losing to Wolfgang in the main event. In October he was entered into a contendership match to win another chance at the title, but was beaten by Dave Moralez.[54]
Galloway's reputation continued to precede him, being placed in the Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) Not Just For Christmas tournament to crown the inaugural RQW Heavyweight Champion. Representing IWW, having made his IWW Title defence against Fleisch earlier in the year, Galloway faced SAS Wrestling's El Ligero[55] going through to the semi-final only to lose to One Pro Wrestling's Pac by count out. Galloway continued to appear in April, taking his rivalry with 'SOS' Sheamus O'Shaunessy to London with a double count-out[56] which led to a rematch in June where Galloway picked up the victory in a Street Fight. Later on that evening, having made a statement with his win over O'Shaunessy, Galloway attacked the RQW Heavyweight Champion Martin Stone during his title defence against Takeshi Rikio.[57] This attack led to Galloway's final match in the UK at August's Summer Brawl. Despite attacking Stone earlier in the evening, Galloway could not pick up the victory and failed to win the title.[58] Galloway's very last appearance was serving as a referee for PBW on 15 September in a match that saw Darkside defeat Lionheart to become the championship contender.[59]
Galloway appeared on the inaugural Insane Championship Wrestling show promoted by a young Mark Dallas.[60] Galloway won a triple threat match over Darkside and Allan Grogan to become the first ever ICW Heavyweight Champion.[61][62] Galloway held the title for 280 days, retaining over Wolfgang[63] and Allan Grogan,[64] before losing the title to Darkside in a five-man match which also included Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.[65][66] This was his final appearance for the company until 2014.[67][68]
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Early appearances (2007–2008)
Galloway signed with WWE in late-2007 and made his official WWE debut on 12 October 2007 edition of SmackDown! under the modified ring name of Drew McIntyre. In his debut match, McIntyre, accompanied by his on-screen mentor Dave Taylor, defeated Brett Major with a roll-up, establishing himself as a villainous character.[69] The next week, he defeated Brian Major with the help of Taylor.[70] 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.[71]
Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2009)
After his short stint on WWE's main roster, McIntyre was moved to WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He reformed his team with Stu Sanders, now going under the name of The Empire. In April, they took on The Puerto Rican Nightmares (Eric Pérez and Eddie Colón) who won the match and a title shot at the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[72] Once The Nightmares won the championship, The Empire received two consecutive chances to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on 6 May.[73] Their first title defence was against McIntyre's old rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy, but his partner "Sterling Jack" Gabriel accidentally hit them and The Empire capitalised to retain their championship.[72] The Empire lost the championship on 17 July to Joe Hennig and Gabe Tuft.[73] On 16 August, The Empire imploded when McIntyre faced Sanders in a singles match which ended in a double countout and their rematch at the end of September ended in a time limit draw.
On 7 October, McIntyre was entered into a contest for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship and defeated Tuft to make it into the final but lost to Eric Escobar (the former Eric Peréz). McIntyre closed out the year with an unsuccessful attempt to gain the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship in a four-way match, but Escobar won the title from O'Shaunessy.[74]
Going into 2009, McIntyre entered into a rivalry with Joe Hennig, but their first match in February ended in a double countout. McIntyre interfered in Hennig's match the following week, costing him the match. On 26 February, Hennig defeated McIntyre[75] and went on that night to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship from Escobar. Their feud ended abruptly when Hennig vacated the title after an injury, causing McIntyre to be elevated into title contendership, beating Escobar for the vacant championship on 19 March. McIntyre regularly defended the title until 11 June, when Tyler Reks (the former Gabe Tuft) won the title in his second attempt.[74] Later that month, McIntyre failed to win a 14-man battle royal for a chance to regain the title. On 25 June, McIntyre was set to team with O'Shaunessy against the returning Hennig and DJ Gabriel (the aforementioned "Sterling Jack" Gabriel), but when neither team would work together a four-way was booked, which O'Shaunessy won. McIntyre and O'Shaunessy both failed to win back the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship in mid-July from Reks. McIntyre received a singles opportunity the next day with the same result.[75]
The Chosen One (2009–2010)
In WWE, he is a one-time Intercontinental Champion and two-time WWE (Raw) Tag Team Champion. Outside of WWE, he has performed as Drew Galloway most notably with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a one-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion and one-time Impact Grand Champion. He has also wrestled extensively on the independent scene. He is a two-time ICW World Heavyweight Champion with Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW),[5] a one-time Evolve Champion, one-time Open the Freedom Gate Champion, a two-time Evolve Tag Team Champion with Evolve, and a one-time WCPW Champion.
Galloway returned to WWE in April 2017 and joined the developmental brand NXT, first appearing at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. He won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, becoming the first man to win the title in his TakeOver in-ring debut as well as the first WWE Superstar to hold it after having previously won a main roster championship. Upon returning to the main roster in 2018, he won the Raw Tag Team Championship with Dolph Ziggler, and won the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match.
Early life
Andrew McLean Galloway IV[6] was born on 6 June 1985 in Ayr, Ayrshire.[1] His mother, Angela, died on 3 November 2012 at the age of 51.[7] Galloway grew up in Prestwick, Ayrshire, where he studied at Prestwick Academy.[8] He considered being a professional football player when he was younger. He played for the youth club Prestwick Boys, normally in defensive positions, before concentrating on wrestling. When he was 10 years old, he read a magazine named X Factor, which focused on conspiracy theories and ghost stories; this prompted him to write a letter to the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act, to which the FBI responded by sending him a file with several documents.[9] He began training for a professional wrestling career at the age of 15, and his parents agreed to support him as long as he gave the same amount of focus to his studies.[9] He agreed, and would go on to earn a master's degree in criminology from Glasgow Caledonian University.[10]
Professional wrestling career
Training and early career (2001–2006)
Galloway began training for professional wrestling at the age of 15[1] at the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's Academy when his family moved to the south of England to Portsmouth.[11] In the FWA Academy, while he was trained by the promotion's operator Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and James Tighe, Galloway also cites the promotion's established wrestlers helping out with training, including Doug Williams, Paul Burchill and Alex Shane.[3]
In 2003, Galloway made his debut for the inaugural show of British Championship Wrestling (BCW), operating in the Greater Glasgow area. While there he honed his wrestling skill further, training under Colin McKay and later Spinner McKenzie[3] and developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky narcissist.[12] His first match, which took place at February's No Blood, No Sympathy: Night 1, saw him lose against Stu Natt.[13] He picked up his first win on the second night in a tag team match alongside Wolfgang, defeating Blade and Stu Pendous.[14] By December, Galloway was managed by Charles Boddington, who aided him in his first significant success and would manage him for the next four years. On 5 December, Boddington announced that BCW Heavyweight Champion Spinner McKenzie had been fired and would be stripped of the title; Boddington then instantly gave the belt to Galloway.[15] Stevie Knight took exception to this and challenged him to a match that very night at Bad Tidings: Night 1, winning the championship.[16] Galloway earned a non-title win over Knight the following February in 2004, at Night of The Fan[17] but Knight exacted revenge by knocking Galloway out of the King of BCW tournament.[18]
Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he was defeated by The Honky Tonk Man[19] and later that month lost in a tag team match to Marty Jannetty and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side.[20] In November at the aptly titled Lo Down, Galloway main evented in a double countout match against D'Lo Brown.[21] He then had a brief series of feuds, as in March 2005 he defeated Jay Phoenix[22] but their rematch in November, officiated by Mick Foley, ended in a no contest.[23] In May 2006 after their lengthy feud in Irish Whip Wrestling, Galloway lost[24] then won in successive matches against long-term rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy.[25]
Independent circuit (2006–2007)
In November 2006, Galloway teamed with Lionheart in the main event of Live in East Kilbride and pinned BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander who was tagging with Wolfgang.[26] This put him in contention for the title at December's No Blood, No Sympathy IV. The match was booked as an "I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee with Galloway gaining his second BCW Heavyweight Championship.[15][27][28] He held the title through most of 2007, with successful defences over Martin Stone, Allan Grogan and Lionheart, before vacating it[15] after he relocated to the United States in September.[1]
After gaining momentum in Scotland, Galloway began wrestling dates across the Republic of Ireland with Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) continuing to use "Thee" Drew Galloway as his gimmick. With Charles Boddington still in his corner, he competed in three contests during his first appearance on 23 July 2005 for Whiplash TV.[12] After losing to "SOS" Sheamus O'Shaunessy[29] he found a similar fate against Mad Man Manson, sparking a feud between the two.[12] Despite these two losses, his status abroad meant he was already booked in a Ten-Man Gauntlet match to determine the top contender for the main title. Galloway was whitewashed the entire evening, losing to Vic Viper.[29] The following day at Gym Wars Manson was absent so Galloway tried to avenge his loss with O'Shaunessy but it ended in a double count-out.[30] Over the next few months Galloway recruited various wrestlers, even his manager Boddington, in a series of tag team and even handicap tag team matches against Manson and his teams.[31][32][33] He picked up his first victory in October against Sean South in a warm-up for that event's main event six-man tag team match.[32] The rivalry between Galloway and Manson was finally settled in November at IWW's final show from the SFX Theatre. Their brutal and bloody Street Fight saw Galloway gain respect from for his tenacity and endurance[12] but his losing streak continued.
With his rivalry against Manson settled in their Street Fight and despite having only won one match with the company, Galloway was given a shot at the IWW International Heavyweight Championship owing to his show stealing performances with Manson.[12] On 28 January 2006 he received his first title match against Sheamus O'Shaunessy, evolving their rivalry from previous battles.[35] The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing O'Shaunessy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the Old Firm football derby between Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic, respectively.[12] This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club once again for the title, though the match changed into a Lumberjack match, the result and champion remained the same.[36] Galloway remained focussed, proving his dominance and determination for the championship by defeating JC Williams and Brian Roche in a handicap match on 17 March.[37] This match earned him a two out of three falls match against the champion the following day in which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one;[38] the next day produced the same result.[39] Again Galloway proved himself a fierce competitor, twice making Vic Viper acquiesce in "I Quit" matches in April.[40][41] With their rivalry intensifying, Galloway's next challenge to O'Shaunessy was given the stipulation of a Last Man Standing match. Once again, the Irish native retained the title,[42] as he also did in June with the same stipulation.[43]
On 28 August 2006, Galloway finally managed to beat the reigning Irishman and won the IWW International Heavyweight Championship in a singles match.[44][45] He successfully defended the belt that evening against Go Shiozaki.[12][43] In November, Galloway took the championship to London, England in November against Jody Fleisch,[46][47] However, Galloway was not able to commit to fully defending the title, due to other bookings in his homeland and his academic studies, he was thus forced to relinquish the championship in January 2007.[12][48]
While BCW became his home promotion and he made regular appearances for IWW, Galloway made several appearances around the independent circuit. In 2004, he appeared for the fledgling International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK) at their aptly titled Show 2.[49] Despite losing to Aviv Maayan in his first showing,[50] by the time he returned in May 2005 his reputation made him notorious enough to compete in their main event Five Way Elimination match to determine the best of British heavyweights. Galloway was eliminated first by Andy Boy Simmonz with a small package pin.[51]
In between studying, Gallow competed in several tours of All Star Wrestling[1] against competitors including TJ Wilson, PN Neuz, Chad Collyer and Brody Steele during 2006.[52] On 15 October 2006, Galloway competed in Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) debut show Fear & Loathing, defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a three-way 30-minute Iron Man match to become the first ICW Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for 280 days, ultimately losing it to Darkside on 22 July 2007 in a five-man elimination match that also involved Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.
Despite it being his only match (he was used twice) for NWA: Scottish Wrestling Alliance (NWA:SWA), Galloway represented Team SWA against Team Sinner in the titular match for the March 2006 Clan Wars event, being eliminated first by Highlander who was using the ropes.[53] At the end of the month he appeared at the inaugural event for Premier British Wrestling (PBW) earning a shot to become the first PBW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Allan Grogan but losing to Wolfgang in the main event. In October he was entered into a contendership match to win another chance at the title, but was beaten by Dave Moralez.[54]
Galloway's reputation continued to precede him, being placed in the Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) Not Just For Christmas tournament to crown the inaugural RQW Heavyweight Champion. Representing IWW, having made his IWW Title defence against Fleisch earlier in the year, Galloway faced SAS Wrestling's El Ligero[55] going through to the semi-final only to lose to One Pro Wrestling's Pac by count out. Galloway continued to appear in April, taking his rivalry with 'SOS' Sheamus O'Shaunessy to London with a double count-out[56] which led to a rematch in June where Galloway picked up the victory in a Street Fight. Later on that evening, having made a statement with his win over O'Shaunessy, Galloway attacked the RQW Heavyweight Champion Martin Stone during his title defence against Takeshi Rikio.[57] This attack led to Galloway's final match in the UK at August's Summer Brawl. Despite attacking Stone earlier in the evening, Galloway could not pick up the victory and failed to win the title.[58] Galloway's very last appearance was serving as a referee for PBW on 15 September in a match that saw Darkside defeat Lionheart to become the championship contender.[59]
Galloway appeared on the inaugural Insane Championship Wrestling show promoted by a young Mark Dallas.[60] Galloway won a triple threat match over Darkside and Allan Grogan to become the first ever ICW Heavyweight Champion.[61][62] Galloway held the title for 280 days, retaining over Wolfgang[63] and Allan Grogan,[64] before losing the title to Darkside in a five-man match which also included Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.[65][66] This was his final appearance for the company until 2014.[67][68]
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Early appearances (2007–2008)
Galloway signed with WWE in late-2007 and made his official WWE debut on 12 October 2007 edition of SmackDown! under the modified ring name of Drew McIntyre. In his debut match, McIntyre, accompanied by his on-screen mentor Dave Taylor, defeated Brett Major with a roll-up, establishing himself as a villainous character.[69] The next week, he defeated Brian Major with the help of Taylor.[70] 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.[71]
Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2009)
After his short stint on WWE's main roster, McIntyre was moved to WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He reformed his team with Stu Sanders, now going under the name of The Empire. In April, they took on The Puerto Rican Nightmares (Eric Pérez and Eddie Colón) who won the match and a title shot at the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship.[72] Once The Nightmares won the championship, The Empire received two consecutive chances to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on 6 May.[73] Their first title defence was against McIntyre's old rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy, but his partner "Sterling Jack" Gabriel accidentally hit them and The Empire capitalised to retain their championship.[72] The Empire lost the championship on 17 July to Joe Hennig and Gabe Tuft.[73] On 16 August, The Empire imploded when McIntyre faced Sanders in a singles match which ended in a double countout and their rematch at the end of September ended in a time limit draw.
On 7 October, McIntyre was entered into a contest for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship and defeated Tuft to make it into the final but lost to Eric Escobar (the former Eric Peréz). McIntyre closed out the year with an unsuccessful attempt to gain the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship in a four-way match, but Escobar won the title from O'Shaunessy.[74]
Going into 2009, McIntyre entered into a rivalry with Joe Hennig, but their first match in February ended in a double countout. McIntyre interfered in Hennig's match the following week, costing him the match. On 26 February, Hennig defeated McIntyre[75] and went on that night to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship from Escobar. Their feud ended abruptly when Hennig vacated the title after an injury, causing McIntyre to be elevated into title contendership, beating Escobar for the vacant championship on 19 March. McIntyre regularly defended the title until 11 June, when Tyler Reks (the former Gabe Tuft) won the title in his second attempt.[74] Later that month, McIntyre failed to win a 14-man battle royal for a chance to regain the title. On 25 June, McIntyre was set to team with O'Shaunessy against the returning Hennig and DJ Gabriel (the aforementioned "Sterling Jack" Gabriel), but when neither team would work together a four-way was booked, which O'Shaunessy won. McIntyre and O'Shaunessy both failed to win back the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship in mid-July from Reks. McIntyre received a singles opportunity the next day with the same result.[75]
The Chosen One (2009–2010)
On 28 August 2009, McIntyre re-debuted on the SmackDown brand, disregarding his previous time on WWE television, and established himself as a villain by attacking R-Truth as he entered the ring, using his new double underhook DDT finishing move, the Scot Drop (soon renamed the Future Shock).[76] McIntyre continued to attack Truth over the following weeks, claiming to be on the show to wrestle not to party like R-Truth.[77] On 18 September, while Charlie Haas was waiting to face R-Truth, McIntyre came to the ring to explain that R-Truth had been injured backstage, and then attacked Haas.[78] On 25 September, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon introduced McIntyre as a "future world champion" that he had personally signed, after which Truth made a return attack against McIntyre.[79] The following week on SmackDown, McIntyre continued to crash parties by making a speech at the Decade of SmackDown celebration until R-Truth put him through a table and the anniversary cake.[80] This all led to McIntyre's first proper match since his return at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV), where McIntyre defeated R-Truth in under five minutes again using his DDT finisher.[81][82]
McIntyre faced R-Truth once more in a singles match and won by countout to represent SmackDown at Bragging Rights,[83] but the episode before the PPV the entire team, captains aside, was replaced leaving McIntyre omitted from the event.[84][85] McIntyre briefly feuded with Finlay in the same manner as Truth with matches not starting properly[86][87] until McIntyre won their final meeting in under two minutes.[88] At Survivor Series on 22 November, McIntyre had a place on The Miz's team for the traditional Survivor Series elimination match. McIntyre, The Miz and his former rival Sheamus (previously Sheamus O'Shaunessy) were the surviving members on their winning team; McIntyre eliminated Evan Bourne and Matt Hardy.
Being the only SmackDown superstar to survive against Team Morrison, McIntyre faced and defeated John Morrison a few weeks later,[90] putting him in line for Morrison's Intercontinental Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (TLC). Days before the event, Morrison mocked McIntyre's Scottish heritage by dressing as a Braveheart-inspired William Wallace,[91] but at TLC on 13 December, McIntyre managed to pin Morrison after a thumb to the eye to win the Intercontinental title, his first championship in WWE.[92] He retained the title against Morrison and later against Kane using underhanded tactics.[93][94] His televised undefeated record ended in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Kane on 26 February episode of SmackDown,[95] but Mr McMahon forced SmackDown's general manager Teddy Long to expunge the loss. The same thing happened again with Matt Hardy[96] before McIntyre finally qualified for the Ladder match by pinning an unsigned wrestler.[97] McIntyre then lost to The Undertaker on 19 March[98] and also failed to win the Money in the Bank match on 29 March at WrestleMania XXVI, his first WrestleMania appearance.[99] In weeks after this, McIntyre continuously attacked Matt Hardy until he was stripped of his title on 7 May by Long and suspended for the purposes of the storyline;[100] McMahon decreed he be reinstated as champion the following week, undermining Long's authority which developed tension between McIntyre and Long.[101]
As a result, McIntyre faced Kofi Kingston—who had won a tournament to determine the new champion—at Over the Limit on 23 May and lost the championship after 161 days.[102] McIntyre, however, still used his relationship with McMahon to bully Teddy Long, publicly humiliating and forcing Long to lie down for him for their match.[103] At Fatal 4-Way on 20 June, McIntyre faced Kingston in a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship. During the match, Long took over as the referee, but he refused to make the three count when McIntyre had the match won. A vengeful Matt Hardy then attacked McIntyre, leading to Kingston winning the match and retaining the championship.[104]
On 21 June episode of Raw, The Nexus faction attacked McMahon which removed him from television for a prolonged period and ended McIntyre's preferential treatment.[105] After losing to Matt 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.[106] This storyline had a basis in reality, since Galloway's visa had indeed expired and as a result he was taken off television.[107]
Various storylines (2010–2012)
McIntyre returned two weeks later and was re-instated after being made to beg Long and qualified for the eponymous match at the Money in the Bank PPV by defeating Kofi Kingston.[108] McIntyre then continued his rivalry with Matt Hardy and Hardy's friend Christian. At the same time, "Dashing" Cody Rhodes also took umbrage with Matt Hardy and Christian, leading to an alliance being formed. On 19 September at Night of Champions, McIntyre and Rhodes captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in a five-team tag team turmoil match as the last entrants. This allowed them to appear on both brands.[109] McIntyre and Rhodes then successfully defended their championship twice against The Hart Dynasty.[110][111] At the Bragging Rights PPV on 24 October, McIntyre and Rhodes lost the championship to The Nexus (John Cena and David Otunga) and dissolved their team.[112] On 21 November at Survivor Series, McIntyre participated in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series tag team match as a member of Team Del Rio against Team Mysterio. McIntyre would be the final man remaining on his team before he was eliminated by Big Show. McIntyre would participate in the 40 man Royal Rumble match on 30 January, but would be eliminated by Big Show.
In early 2011, McIntyre was part of a brief storyline with Kelly Kelly. Though Kelly was a popular character, McIntyre tried to woo her despite his villainous behaviour. She refused to date him, due to his anger problems which were shown during his matches against Trent Barretta. In February, he participated in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship but was eliminated by Kane. After being continually spurned by Kelly, McIntyre teamed with Vickie Guerrero in a losing effort against Kelly and Edge on 22 February episode of SmackDown.
On 26 April, Drew McIntyre was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft and made his debut for the brand in a losing effort to Kofi Kingston.[113] McIntyre featured very rarely on Raw and was confined to dark matches and Superstars, he last appeared on the Smackdown brand in a Blindfold Match against Santino Marella, which he lost.[114]
On 15 December episode of Superstars, McIntyre finally won a match by defeating Justin Gabriel which earned him a contract with SmackDown.[115] He switched to the SmackDown brand on 30 December and resumed his tense relationship with General Manager Theodore Long. Long put pressure on McIntyre to win matches to justify his contract and McIntyre subsequently began an eight match losing streak going into the new year,[116] after the last of which, Long fired McIntyre within the storyline.[117] A week later, McIntyre was reinstated by guest general manager John Laurinaitis, where he finally ended his losing streak by defeating Hornswoggle.[118] He was subsequently included on Laurinaitis' team in the 12-man Tag Team match at WrestleMania XXVIII, helping to earn Laurinaitis control of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. During the match, Drew McIntyre injured his shoulder. He returned on the 10 May episode of Superstars defeating Ezekiel Jackson. Since returning his fortunes had relatively stayed the same. He continued to lose most matches and was confined to Superstars and house shows. However, he was able to make several appearances on Raw and SmackDown, but most of them were squash matches against the likes of Brodus Clay.
When WWE rebranded its developmental territory, FCW, into NXT,[119] McIntyre was inserted into the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the inaugural NXT Champion, where he lost to Seth Rollins in the quarter-finals on 1 August episode of NXT
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