Seth Rollins defeated Drew McIntyre in an excellent opening match at WWE Crown Jewel 2023. In the impressive debut of Byron Saxton’s in-ring announcing career, Rollins and McIntyre lived up to their billing with an entertaining back-and-forth match. The Saudi crowd was red-hot for the contest and leaned heavily into McIntyre’s corner.
After McIntyre’s loss, the WWE commentary team suggested that Drew McIntyre might consider attending Judgment Day to finally become world champion again. Backstage, Rhea Ripley grinned at a dejected McIntyre, almost as if to say, “I told you so.” After the match, Damian Priest tried to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but Sami Zayn hijacked the briefcase and fled in the amount.
McIntyre was the clear favorite of the Saudi audience at the Mohamed Abdo Theater. The fans, clearly hoping for a title change, chanted for McIntyre, who leaned on his heels, throughout the match while lightly booing Rollins at times.
In Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins faced the most credible superstar and dethroned him for the WWE World Championship. Rollins was just a -500 favorite over McIntyre, compared to Reigns’ insurmountable -5000 line.
WWE did an excellent job of telling the story of Drew McIntyre’s slow-burn heel turn. Like any major spin-off, McIntyre has justified his actions, but goes about it in an unsympathetic manner. McIntyre continues to resent being a victim of the pandemic and the bloodline. While nearly every top WWE star can make the same claim, it can be argued that no one has been worse affected by the pandemic and Bloodline than Drew McIntyre.
And McIntyre made sure you knew about it.
McIntyre’s increasingly salty promos are reminiscent of Bret Hart’s heel turn in 1997, one of the most effective heel turns in modern wrestling. McIntyre continues to be wronged, and with no one lifting a finger to help him, he has become cynical and bitter. This refreshing character arc has added much-needed depth to McIntyre, who has largely faltered since his loss to Reigns at Clash in the Castle. What was once a helpless downward spiral for McIntyre has become a compelling one.
As Drew McIntyre’s heart grows darker, WWE continues to tease the possibility of McIntyre joining The Bloodline. Damian Priest continues to have tensions with Judgment Day. Assuming he gets another shot at Rollins’ world championship, Drew McIntyre as world champion could set the stage for a dramatic double-cross from Money in the Bank winner Priest’s Judgment Day.
WWE Raw has been stagnant in recent weeks and needs a change. Drew McIntyre could have turned things around and won the WWE World Championship. But with WWE announcing an alliance between McIntyre and Judgment Day, change could be on the horizon.
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I have been a pro wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports website since 2010 and formerly at Bleacher Report, where I was a WWE columnist and host of the nearly 100-episode digital series WWE WTF. In 2012, I was featured in Bleacher Report’s documentary “Why We Watch,” which focused on the career of Kurt Angle. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a major in Business Administration, a concentration in Accounting, and a minor in Sports Management.
In addition to my appearances on BBC and ESPN Radio, I have been featured on NPR numerous times. My pro wrestling expertise includes live broadcasting countless WWE and independent wrestling events, including six WrestleManias.
I created the YouTube channel Pro Wrestling Bits. Subscribe at bit.ly/deezbits
Follow me on Twitter @ThisIsNasty
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