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Six years ago, Drew McIntyre was headed for the main event of WrestleMania 36. As winner of the Royal Rumble, McIntyre was set to face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was far and away the biggest moment of his career — one that had seen him go from being released by WWE to the cusp of winning its greatest prize on its grandest stage.

That never happened as planned.

As the world shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did sports and WWE. Instead of McIntyre’s coronation taking place in front of tens of thousands of fans, it took place in an empty WWE Performance Center amid a time of unprecedented uncertainty. McIntyre held the WWE Championship for much of the next year, helping carry WWE through the pandemic, but his chance to walk out at the “Showcase of the Immortals” as the guy had slipped away, potentially forever.

As long ago as that era seems, it’s an important aspect as to where we are today.

Knocking on the door of WrestleMania 42, McIntyre is once again at the peak of WWE, this time as Undisputed WWE Champion. After surprisingly defeating Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match in Berlin in January, McIntyre is poised to enter Las Vegas next month as champion and defend against Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton — for now.

We're not at WrestleMania yet, but McIntyre's story is already compelling.

“Robert Burns or Shakespeare couldn’t have written it any better,” McIntyre told Uncrowned. “The match where everyone assumed that Cody was going to do what he always does and hold the title and go right through to WrestleMania, we were in Berlin and we had the shocking finish. The fans were pretty happy for me because they saw my struggle.

"The next day couldn’t have been written more perfectly. For the first time, I was able to walk out in front of a live crowd in Glasgow as WWE Champion. My friends and family were there, my people were there, the same people I promised before WrestleMania in 2020 that I was going to beat Brock [Lesnar], win that title and bring it home and I couldn’t because of COVID — I was finally able to fulfill that promise.”

Playing the victim to a degree is part of McIntyre’s persona, and although he expertly weaves in and out of kayfabe, there’s undeniably truth in what he’s saying, particularly as it pertains to WrestleMania 36. As much as he's had standout matches at WrestleMania in the years that followed, having a moment of that magnitude taken by something entirely out of your control is gut-wrenching, and there's no guarantee you'll get back there.

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on WWE’s roster — or elsewhere — who can be as consistent and believable of a heel as McIntyre has been at the highest level. The Scottish behemoth’s ability in the ring, on the microphone and his dedication to his craft have resulted in memorable feuds with The Bloodline, Damian Priest, CM Punk and now Rhodes over the past several years. It’s a brand of storytelling that lends itself to lengthy programs that are equal parts personal and captivating.

“I give the Bloodline credit, as much as I can’t stand each and every one of them, they showed that within the pro-wrestling show it doesn’t have to be so black and white, it doesn’t have to be simple storylines that a child or newcomer can follow,” McIntyre said. 

“We have 52 weeks a year. The performers are so talented that there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have these deep, layered storylines and characters. They proved that was possible and I love it because I am somebody who loves to get into the details and is a storyteller. Anybody who makes it to the top level in wrestling, doesn’t matter who you are, deep down you’re a storyteller. I’ve loved every second of the past few years where I was able to get into the details about my character and the journey that I have been on.”

These rivalries also lend themselves to intense matches, as with each meeting the stakes get higher and higher. McIntyre’s trilogy of matches with CM Punk in 2024 was capped off with one of the best showdowns of the year as the two met in Hell in a Cell. His recent feud with Rhodes saw the title change hands in a Three Stages of Hell match, of which the last leg was in a steel cage.

When you combine McIntyre's ability to have a five-star match or cut a memorable promo with these rivalries that get fans invested, that's when you get pro-wrestling magic, and is where his deep understanding of the business shines through.

“You shouldn’t just have these matches for the sake of having them," McIntyre said. "It’s all about that storytelling. It’s not by myself, it’s the creative team and [Paul] 'Triple H' [Levesque] being in charge, where I get to put my little flavor and spin on it and my words to it. It’s the same with [Levesque] himself — he knows personal issues draw money and I get excited about making things personal. 

"I’m not afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, because in the end you should be able to be a professional, have thick skin, be able to take it, spin it and give it right back to the only ones who benefit are the fans. In the end, when the program is over, you should be able to have a beer together and high-five together.”

Aside from the pop McIntyre got in Europe when he won the Undisputed WWE Championship, the reaction from the wrestling world at large has been mostly positive. Between Roman Reigns and Rhodes, "SmackDown’s" biggest championship had essentially been held by two men for the past four years. McIntyre has been a breath of fresh air and brought an aura of unpredictability to his reign, including attacking Rhodes during his past two shots to book a spot at WrestleMania.

On Friday, McIntyre and Rhodes meet for the fourth time for the Undisputed WWE Championship. It’s a match that has heavy intrigue surrounding it because it’s hard to believe that Rhodes — arguably the biggest star and top babyface in WWE — won’t factor into WrestleMania 42 in some way, shape or form.

Aside from McIntyre, Rhodes and Orton — who is already slotted in for his title shot — Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn are lurking around the main event picture. Popular belief is that rather than having McIntyre or Rhodes win clean, that an interference will result in at least a triple threat next month in Las Vegas. It’s a testament to the health of the Undisputed WWE Championship picture.

“It shows what a good job that creative and the roster is doing,” McIntyre said. “After Punk and Roman’s little digs, at 'SmackDown' everyone’s bringing their A-game right now. We have so many top-level performers.”

Should McIntyre prevail Friday night, he’ll finally get his true WrestleMania moment, more than half a decade late. After making good on one promise already in 2026, he’ll look to add to his tally soon.

“My family’s flights are booked, their hotels are booked, they missed out in 2020 and they are not going to miss out on this moment with me walking out and leaving as WWE Champion.”