Opinion: Drew McIntyre needs to be kept away from Roman Reigns to become relevant
Drew McIntyre returned two years ago to the WWE. He dominated competition during his stint in NXT, winning the NXT title soon after. His promotion to the main roster was met with eager anticipation among fans and critics alike. The general consensus was that he had gained a lot of experience in the independent scene, and was destined for bigger things - which would have given some credence to his billing as 'The Chosen One' during his initial stint with the company.
Everything about him screamed World Champion - his chiseled physique, the focused promos where he was very articulate and threatening, the attire, renewed confidence in the ring, his new finisher which conquered one and all, et cetera. His return alongside Dolph Ziggler allowed him to be the enforcer, establishing his presence and new aura. He virtually never lost, until losing to Ziggler once the latter turned face - a decision that was more impulsive and unnecessary in hindsight.
The Scottish Psychopath proceeded to salvage some of his momentum by humiliating Kurt Angle in the ring, using his opponent's signature Ankle Lock move to subdue the Olympic Gold Medalist. He also holds two impressive victories over Seth Rollins before The Architect became the Universal Champion at WrestleMania 35 - however, both wins came as a result of distractions caused by Dolph Ziggler in October 2018 and Brock Lesnar in March 2019.
That is where the problem truly lies with the booking of McIntyre's character - he can be the impressive physical specimen, he can cut effective promos, he can possess one of the most damaging finishing maneuvers, he can even continuously taunt his opponents during the match when he appears to have the upper hand, but he is simply not picking up victories in the fashion a monster heel should. The best example from this decade of a true unstoppable villain is perhaps Mark Henry's 'Hall of Pain' run in 2011. To do justice to the potential that McIntyre so obviously brings to the table, it is imperative for him to produce against the biggest names in the company, so he can become the biggest superstar on the roster, or get somewhere close to that.
It is almost painful to see the current direction of his character headed in the complete opposite direction. Since WrestleMania, McIntyre has been embroiled in a rivalry with Roman Reigns. He started off well by decimating Dean Ambrose (who was very apparently being shown the door) and picking up a win over Rollins due to distraction from Lesnar. Reigns was making his return from a Leukemia diagnosis, and McIntyre was building himself up as a credible threat to Reigns. But alas, that is as far as he got.
From that point onwards up until now, the so-called 'Terminator' has lost to Reigns thrice in singles competition. The first loss came at The Showcase Of The Immortals. Logic goes out the door here - The Big Dog had not competed one-on-one in months, and yet he brushed off McIntyre in routine fashion. Reigns was the emotional pick to come out victorious, and he did. Why did it have to be against McIntyre - a man who needed the win more?
Soon after, Reigns beat him again on RAW, this time with Shane McMahon attacking the former right after McIntyre had been laid out by the Spear and clearly about to lose cleanly. The most recent loss came at Stomping Grounds - McIntyre could not get the job done despite numerous attempts from Shane McMahon to turn the tide in his favor. Do you see how ridiculous this trend has become?
McIntyre is now the enforcer of Shane McMahon's heel stable. After all this time, he has returned to the same role he had when he was partnering with Ziggler - only, he is much less frightening now. He has lost any and all credibility that he had built; no amount of wins against mid-carders will make the WWE Universe believe he could beat Reigns, Rollins or Lesnar in a fair fight. It is understandable that Reigns has to be the centerpiece of the show and has to continue being the 'rinse-repeat' babyface who emerges triumphant in the face of adversity; there is no use in complaining about it, since it still sells merchandise and is unlikely to change until the next incarnation of John Cena graces our screens in another decade or so.
Being booked against Reigns since 2013 has meant that only he will stand tall at the end. Why would WWE want to feed their most promising and talented heel to Reigns, only for him to be vanquished in unspectacular matches, with almost blatantly foregone conclusions?
Now comes the report that Undertaker has 'hand-picked' McIntyre as his next opponent. But before that, The Phenom will team up with Roman Reigns to face him and Shane McMahon at Extreme Rules. Things are not looking good at all. McIntyre is not very young, and if he languishes as an ineffective antagonist during the first few years of his return, he will become an afterthought with negligible chances for recovery later on. Unless this eventual feud results in McIntyre completely destroying Undertaker without outside interference, there is no point in booking this rivalry - this coming from an ardent Deadman fan.
McIntyre desperately needs convincing wins, ideally against Roman Reigns, but beating a legend will at least restore some minute degree of respectability to his character. Here's hoping it happens sooner rather than later.