Opinion: Drew McIntyre shouldn't be moved to SmackDown Live
Drew McIntyre's rise to prominence since returning to WWE shortly after WrestleMania 34 has been anything but surprising. Standing at 6-feet-5 inches and weighing 265 pounds with a ripped physique, he looks like the perfect Vince McMahon-esque superstar. Since being released from the company, McIntyre went around many wrestling promotions including ICW (Insane Championship Wrestling) and Impact Wrestling before ultimately returning to NXT better than ever.
The former 3MB member returned to WWE's developmental brand in April 2017 and since then, his career has only gone uphill. He soon became the first Scottish NXT Champion by defeating Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III in August. He made his return to Raw the week after WrestleMania 34, teaming up with Dolph Ziggler to beat up Titus Worldwide. A short Raw Tag Team Championship reign soon came along, but the WWE were slowly and steadily building up his 'Scottish Psychopath' gimmick.
The best example of the company's immense trust in McIntyre is his clean victory over Kurt Angle by making the Olympics Gold Medalist tap out to his own submission maneuver, the Ankle Lock. WWE Creative did a very good job by getting McIntyre legitimate heel heat by brutally attacking the top babyfaces such as Finn Balor and Dean Ambrose.
Although The Scottish Psychopath lost his WrestleMania 35 match-up cleanly against a returning Roman Reigns, the company has been successful in cementing McIntyre as the most relevant heel on the red brand. With his new finisher, the Claymore Kick, being one of the most devastating finishing moves in the world of professional wrestling, he is capable of being the heel who could put on exciting matches whenever called upon (his match at WrestleMania 35 notwithstanding).
McIntyre appeared on SmackDown Live this week, and teamed up with The Bar against The New Day. With the Superstar Shakeup being just a week away, this is in all probability an indication that he will be moving to the blue brand. While that opens up the door for many dream feuds such as McIntyre vs Styles, McIntyre vs The Miz or even McIntyre vs Kofi Kingston, his absence will create a big void in the red brand's locker room.
McIntyre was feuding with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns before WrestleMania, and it would only make sense that he would feud with the third member of the Shield and the new Universal Champion, Seth Rollins. Rollins is very over with the crowd at the moment, and a feud between the biggest heel and biggest babyface of Raw will do wonders for the prestige of the Universal Championship, and ensure that the premium title remains an active part of weekly programming.
WWE's 'Chosen One' also has unfinished business with the new Intercontinental Champion, Finn Balor, who is also a popular babyface. The feud can provide us with some very exciting matches, specially if the 'Demon' shows up at some point, and will certainly elevate the status of the Intercontinental Championship.
In conclusion, WWE has put a lot of effort in building up McIntyre's image of a dangerous, relentless and merciless heel, and his push should definitely lead to a Universal Championship reign. He undoubtedly possesses the aura of a champion who could be the face of the company. He hasn't properly feuded with either of the two champions, and it feels like he has unfinished business on Raw. His stay on the red brand should not come to a premature end and the WWE should not miss out on two potential blockbuster feuds.
Should McIntyre move to SmackDown Live? Sound off in the comments below