Drew Galloway
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Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
. He is currently signed to
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
, one-time
WWE Intercontinental Champion The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WW ...
, one-time
NXT Champion The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It is defended as the top championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. I ...
, and a two-time WWE (Raw) Tag Team Champion, and also won the 2020 Slammy Award for Superstar of the Year. He performed as Drew Galloway outside of WWE from 20012007 and again from 20142017, most notably with
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA), where he was a one-time
TNA World Heavyweight Champion The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
and one-time Impact Grand Champion. He has also wrestled extensively on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
, where he is the inaugural and two-time ICW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Evolve Champion, one-time Open the Freedom Gate Champion, two-time Evolve Tag Team Champion, and one-time WCPW Champion. Galloway returned to WWE in April 2017 under the Drew McIntyre ring name and joined its then-
developmental brand In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
, where he won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, becoming the first man to win the championship in his TakeOver in-ring debut and the first WWE wrestler to hold it after having previously won a championship on the main roster. Upon returning to WWE's main roster in 2018, he won the
Raw Tag Team Championship The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main roste ...
, the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match, and the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
in the main event of the second night of
WrestleMania 36 WrestleMania 36 was the 36th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
. He is the first British world champion in WWE and the 31st Triple Crown champion. In total, Galloway is a five-time world champion in professional wrestling.


Early life

Andrew McLean Galloway IV was born in
Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...
on 6 June 1985. He grew up in nearby
Prestwick Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...
, where he studied at
Prestwick Academy Prestwick Academy is a state secondary school serving the area of Prestwick, South Ayrshire in Scotland. The school is non-denominational and has a capacity of 1400. Its motto is ''Per Vias Rectas'', Latin for ''By Straight Paths''. History ...
. He considered being a professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player when he was younger. He played for the youth club Prestwick Boys, normally in
defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...
positions, before concentrating on wrestling; he has named
Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
as his favourite wrestler. When he was 10 years old, Galloway read a magazine named ''X Factor'', which focused on conspiracy theories and ghost stories; this prompted him to write a letter to the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
under the
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...
, to which the FBI responded by sending him a file with several documents. 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. He agreed and went on to earn a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
in
criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
from
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Training and debut (2001–2006)

Galloway began training as a wrestler at the
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
's Academy at the age of 15 after his family moved to England and settled in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. Although he was trained by the promotion's operator Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and
James Tighe James Tighe (born 27 March 1982) is a semi-retired English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with Frontier Wrestling Alliance. He currently competes around the United Kingdom. Professional wrestling career In the FWA, Tighe wa ...
, he also cites the promotion's established wrestlers helping out with training, including Doug Williams,
Paul Burchill Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English retired professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE. Prior to joining WWE, Burchill wrestled for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance and other ...
and
Alex Shane Alexander Daniel Spilling (born 15 November 1979) is a British professional wrestler and professional wrestling commentator who is best known by his ring name "The Showstealer" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter, wrestling coach and ...
. In 2003, Galloway made his debut for the inaugural show of British Championship Wrestling (BCW), operating in the
Greater Glasgow Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...
area. While there, he honed his skills further, training under Colin McKay and later Spinner McKenzie, then developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky
narcissist Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...
. His first match, which took place at February's ''No Blood, No Sympathy: Night 1'', saw him lose against Stu Natt. He picked up his first win on the second night in a tag team match alongside Wolfgang, defeating Blade and Stu Pendous. By December, Galloway was managed by Charles Boddington, who aided him in his first significant success and managed him for the next four years. Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he lost to
The Honky Tonk Man Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ...
and later that month lost to
Marty Jannetty Fredrick Martin Jannetty (born February 3, 1960) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wres ...
and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side. In November, at the aptly titled ''Lo Down'', Galloway main evented in a double countout match against
D'Lo Brown Accie Julius Connor (born October 22, 1970), better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown (also formatted as D-Lo Brown), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling and WWE. Brown is also known for h ...
. He then had a brief series of feuds, as in March 2005, he defeated Jay Phoenix but their rematch in November, officiated by
Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...
, ended in a no contest. In May 2006, after their lengthy feud in
Irish Whip Wrestling Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) is an Irish-owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in January 2002. The company is named after a wrestling move called the 'Irish Whip'. IWW runs shows Nationally throughout the whole of Ireland, ...
, Galloway lost then won in successive matches against long-term rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy.


Independent circuit (2006–2007)

In November 2006, Galloway and Lionheart, in the main event of ''Live in
East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...
'', pinned BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander, who was tagging with Wolfgang. This put Galloway in contention for the title at December's ''No Blood, No Sympathy IV'' event, which was booked as an "I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee. At the event, he won his second BCW Heavyweight Championship. He held the title through 2007, with successful defenses against the likes of Martin Stone, Allan Grogan and Lionheart, before vacating the title when he relocated to the United States in September. After gaining momentum in Scotland, Galloway began wrestling dates across the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
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''. After losing to "SOS" Sheamus O'Shaunessy, he found a similar fate against Mad Man Manson, sparking a feud between the two. 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. At ''Gym Wars'' the following day, Manson was absent, so Galloway tried to avenge his loss with O'Shaunessy but it ended in a double count-out. Over the next few months, he recruited various wrestlers, even his manager Boddington, in a series of
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
and even handicap tag team matches against Manson and his teams. 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. The rivalry between Galloway and Manson was 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, but his losing streak continued. Galloway was soon given a shot at the
IWW International Heavyweight Championship Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) is an Irish-owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in January 2002. The company is named after a wrestling move called the 'Irish Whip'. IWW runs shows Nationally throughout the whole of Ireland, ...
owing to his show stealing performances with Manson. On 28 January 2006, he received his first title match against O'Shaunessy, evolving their rivalry from previous battles. The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing with O'Shaunessy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the
Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
between
Glasgow Rangers Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...
and
Glasgow Celtic The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...
, respectively. This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club once again for the title; although the match changed into a
Lumberjack match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, the result and champion remained the same. A
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
against the champion took place on 18 March, in which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one; the next day produced the same result. With their rivalry intensifying, his next challenge to O'Shaunessy was given the stipulation of a
Last Man Standing match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, but he retained the title, as he also did in June with the same stipulation. On 28 August 2006, Galloway finally managed to beat O'Shaunessy, winning the IWW International Heavyweight Championship. He successfully defended the belt that evening against
Go Shiozaki is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion where he is the former GHC Heavyweight Champion in a record breaking fifth reign. He made his debut for the promotion in July 2004 and remained with it unti ...
. In November, Galloway took the championship to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England against
Jody Fleisch Jerome Fleisch (born 2 April 1980) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jody Fleisch. He is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, One Pro Wrestling and Real Quality Wrestling. He is current ...
. However, unable to commit to fully defending the title due to other bookings in his homeland and his academic studies, he was forced to relinquish the championship in January 2007. 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''. Despite losing to Aviv Maayan in his first showing, 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 In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...
pin. In between studying, Galloway competed in several tours of
All Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW) is a British professional wrestling promotion operated by Brian Dixon and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, it has also been known over the years as All Star P ...
against competitors including
TJ Wilson Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson w ...
, PN Neuz, Chad Collyer and Brody Steele during 2006. On 15 October 2006, Galloway competed in the Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) debut show ''Fear & Loathing'', defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a
three-way In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexua ...
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 Lee Greig (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jack Jester He wrestles for numerous promotions in the British independent wrestling circuit, but is best known for his work in Insane ...
, 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. 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 lost to Wolfgang in the main event. In October he was entered into a contendership match to win another chance at the title, but lost to Dave Moralez. Galloway's reputation continued to precede him as he was placed in the Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) ''Not Just For Christmas 2006'' tournament to crown the inaugural RQW Heavyweight Champion. Representing IWW and having made his IWW Title defence against Fleisch earlier in the year, Galloway faced SAS Wrestling's
El Ligero Simon Musk (born 7 January 1985) is an English professional wrestler better known under his in-ring persona of masked Mexican luchador, El Ligero (or simply Ligero). He is most known for his time in WWE, on their NXT UK brand. Professional wre ...
, going through to the semi-final only to lose to
One Pro Wrestling One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) is a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headquarters were located in Doncaster T ...
's Pac by count-out. He continued to appear in April 2007, taking his rivalry with O'Shaunessy to London with a double count-out 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 Takeshi Inoue (born December 20, 1972) known by his stage name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, who worked for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler. Sumo career He made his sumo debut in March 1988, after leaving ...
. This attack led to his final match in the UK at August's ''Summer Brawl'', which he lost. His last appearance was serving as a referee for PBW on 15 September in a match that saw Darkside defeat Lionheart to become a contender for the championship. Galloway appeared on the inaugural
Insane Championship Wrestling Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted to ...
show promoted by a young
Mark Dallas Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...
. Galloway won a triple threat match over Darkside and Allan Grogan to become the first-ever ICW Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for 280 days, retaining over Wolfgang and Allan Grogan, before losing the title to Darkside in a five-man match which also included Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson. This was his final appearance for the company until 2014.


World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE


Early appearances (2007–2008)

Galloway signed with WWE in late 2007 and made his official WWE debut on the 12 October 2007 episode 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. The next week, he defeated Brian Major with the help of Taylor. At the beginning of 2008, McIntyre was separated from Taylor and moved to the
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
, making his official debut on the 6 January episode of ''
Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
'' as a
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
, defeating
Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
.


Ohio Valley Wrestling/OVW (2007–2008)

In September 2007, McIntyre went to Louisville for
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. O ...
, with his first match being a dark match after OVW TV, where he took on another developmental talent from the UK, "The Ripper"
Paul Burchill Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English retired professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE. Prior to joining WWE, Burchill wrestled for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance and other ...
. Despite Drew not being involved in a great deal of noteworthy feuds during his time in OVW—mainly due to the fact that he was splitting time between being on the road with WWE, while still having to report to developmental in OVW—he still wrestled regularly on OVW TV & non-televised live events in the
Kentuckiana Kentuckiana, a portmanteau of Kentucky and Indiana, is the area in the Upland South region of the United States containing metropolitan areas with counties in both Kentucky and Indiana. Kentuckiana is primarily the Louisville metropolitan area, in ...
area. Drew formed a tag team with the future Wade Barrett—known as Stu Sanders at the time—forming the very physically impressive "Brit Pack". In February 2008, WWE announced they would be pulling their contract with OVW and owner
Nightmare Danny Davis Daniel Briley (born June 30, 1952), better known by the ring name "Nightmare" Danny Davis, is an American retired professional wrestler and referee. He is the founder and former owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Career Briley started wrestling i ...
; as a result, it would no longer be a part of WWE's developmental system.


Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2009)

After his short stint on WWE's main roster, McIntyre was moved to WWE's
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(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 Eric Alexander Pérez (born December 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name "Escobar". In 2005, Pérez signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he worke ...
and
Eddie Colón Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...
) who won the match and a title shot at the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The ch ...
. Once The Nightmares won the championship, The Empire received two consecutive chances to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on 6 May. 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. The Empire lost the championship on 17 July to
Joe Hennig Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their Developmental territory, developmental terri ...
and
Gabe Tuft Gabbi Alon Tuft (born November 1, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler. Tuft is best known for her time with WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks. Tuft also competed in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling ( ...
. 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 The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight division ...
and defeated Tuft to make it into the finals 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. 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 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. 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.


Intercontinental Champion (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 Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...
as he entered the ring, using his new
double underhook DDT In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...
finishing move, the ''Scot Drop'' (soon renamed the ''Future Shock''). McIntyre continued to attack Truth over the following weeks, claiming to be on the show to wrestle, not to party like R-Truth. 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. On 25 September, WWE chairman
Mr. McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
introduced McIntyre as a "future world champion" that he had personally signed, after which Truth made a return attack against McIntyre. At the
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenci ...
pay-per-view (PPV) on 4 October, McIntyre defeated R-Truth in under five minutes again using his DDT finisher. He faced R-Truth once more in a singles match and won by countout to represent SmackDown at
Bragging Rights Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
on 25 October, but on the episode before the event, the entire team, captains aside, was replaced, leaving McIntyre omitted from the event. McIntyre briefly feuded with
Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby play ...
in the same manner as Truth with matches not starting properly until McIntyre won their final meeting in under two minutes. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
on 22 November, McIntyre had a place on
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
's team for the traditional
Survivor Series elimination match The Survivor Series match is a professional wrestling tag team elimination match held in WWE. The match typically sees two teams pitted against each other and members of the teams are eliminated one-by-one until one entire team is eliminated. Membe ...
. McIntyre, The Miz and his former rival Sheamus were the surviving members on their winning team; McIntyre eliminated
Evan Bourne Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...
and
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
. Being the only SmackDown superstar to survive against Team Morrison, McIntyre faced and defeated John Morrison a few weeks later, 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 ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...
''-inspired
William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...
, but at TLC on 13 December, McIntyre pinned Morrison after a thumb to the eye to win the Intercontinental Championship, his first championship in WWE. He retained the title against Morrison and later against Kane using underhanded tactics. His televised undefeated record ended in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Kane on 26 February episode of ''SmackDown'', but Mr McMahon forced SmackDown's general manager
Teddy Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional referee and manager known for his work for WWE and WCW serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance and ...
to expunge the loss. The same thing happened again with
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
before McIntyre qualified for the ladder match by pinning an unsigned wrestler. McIntyre failed to win the Money in the Bank match on 28 March at
WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI (also written as WrestleMania 26) was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...
, his first
WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
appearance. 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; McMahon decreed he be reinstated as champion the following week, undermining Long's authority which developed tension between McIntyre and Long. McIntyre faced
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...
—who had won a tournament to determine the new champion—at Over the Limit on 23 May, losing the Intercontinental Championship after 161 days. However, he still used his relationship with McMahon to bully Long, publicly humiliating and forcing Long to lie down for him for their match. At
Fatal 4-Way WWE Fatal 4-Way was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on June 20, 2010, at the ...
on 20 June, McIntyre faced Kingston in a rematch for the title. 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. 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. 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. This storyline had a basis in reality, since Galloway's visa had indeed expired and as a result he was taken off television.


Various storylines (2010–2012)

McIntyre returned two weeks later and was re-instated after being made to beg Long. On 19 September at
Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
, McIntyre and
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
won the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
in a five-team tag team turmoil match, allowing them to appear on both brands. McIntyre and Rhodes then retained the titles twice against
The Hart Dynasty The Hart Dynasty was a Canadian professional wrestling stable who appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and Natalya as a manager. The group was named due to the connect ...
. At
Bragging Rights Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
on 24 October, McIntyre and Rhodes lost the titles to The Nexus (
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
and
David Otunga David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...
) and dissolved their team. On 21 November at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, McIntyre participated in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series tag team match as a member of Team Del Rio against Team Mysterio. McIntyre was the final man remaining on his team before he was eliminated by
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
. McIntyre participated in the 40-man Royal Rumble match on 30 January, where he was eliminated by Big Show. On 20 February at
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel st ...
, he participated in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship but was eliminated by Kane. On 26 April, McIntyre was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft. McIntyre featured very rarely on ''Raw'' and was confined to dark matches and '' Superstars''; he last appeared on ''SmackDown'' in a Blindfold Match against
Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Art ...
, which he lost. On 15 December episode of ''Superstars'', McIntyre defeated
Justin Gabriel Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation ...
, which earned him a contract with ''SmackDown''. He switched to the SmackDown brand on 30 December and resumed his tense relationship with general manager
Theodore Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional referee and manager known for his work for WWE and WCW serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance and ...
who 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, after the last of which, Long fired McIntyre within the storyline. A week later, McIntyre was reinstated by guest general manager
John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ringname Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan ...
and he finally ended his losing streak by defeating
Hornswoggle Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Hornswoggle. He debuted in WWE in 2006, allied with Finlay. Hornswoggle won the Cruiserweight Championship in it ...
. He was subsequently included on Laurinaitis' team in the 12-man tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVIII WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the hig ...
on 1 April, helping to earn Laurinaitis control of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. He continued to lose matches and was confined to Superstars and house shows, but was still able to make several appearances on ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'', albeit in squash matches. When WWE
rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
its developmental territory, FCW, into
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
, McIntyre was inserted into the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the inaugural
NXT Champion The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It is defended as the top championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. I ...
, where he lost to the eventual winner
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
in the quarter-finals on 1 August episode of ''
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
''. McIntyre also participated in a number one contender fatal four-way elimination match on 7 November episode of ''NXT'', but was eliminated by
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
.


3MB (2012–2014)

On 21 September episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre and
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
interfered in a match between
Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...
and
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
by attacking Clay, aligning themselves with Slater. The trio became known as the Three Man Band, or 3MB for short. Due to a wrist injury, McIntyre managed Slater and Mahal in tag matches. McIntyre returned to the ring from injury on 7 December episode of ''SmackDown'' when 3MB defeated
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
and
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 16 December, after being guests on ''Miz TV'' and harassing the Spanish announce team, 3MB challenged
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
and
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
to find a partner for a six-man tag team match for later that night. Miz announced their partner to be the
Brooklyn Brawler Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behin ...
, and went on to defeat 3MB. The next night on ''Raw'', 3MB lost to The Miz and Del Rio again, this time with
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
as their partner. On 31 December episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre and Slater challenged
Team Hell No Team Hell No was an American professional wrestling tag team in the WWE. They performed on the SmackDown brand consisting of Kane and Daniel Bryan. The team's name is a reference to the two wrestlers' personas: Kane is portrayed as a violent pyr ...
( Daniel Bryan and Kane) for the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
in a losing effort. McIntyre and Slater also competed in the first round of the
NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...
tournament to crown the inaugural champions, but were defeated by
Adrian Neville Benjamin Satterley (born 22 August 1986), better known by his ring name Pac, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he was the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. He is one-third of the ...
and
Oliver Grey Joel Pettyfer (born 21 February 1987), is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Joel Redman. Pettyfer is best known for his work on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, where he is a former Unified British T ...
on 23 January episode of ''NXT''. At
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
on 27 January 2013, McIntyre competed in the 30-man Royal Rumble match where he was eliminated by Chris Jericho. On 12 April episode of ''SmackDown'', in an attempt to make a name for themselves, 3MB tried to attack
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
, but were attacked themselves by
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt poli ...
(
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...
,
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
and
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WW ...
). On 15 April episode of ''Raw'', 3MB called out The Shield, only for
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
to come out instead and attack the group. On 29 April episode of ''Raw'', 3MB attacked The Shield, but The Shield quickly turned the tables on them. This resulted in Team Hell No chasing away The Shield, before attacking 3MB themselves. Beginning in late 2013, 3MB began adopting new ring names against their opponents, although their misfortunes and amounting losses remained the same. At
WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was the 30th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event produced by WWE. It took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...
on 6 April, McIntyre competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but was eliminated by Mark Henry. On 12 June 2014, WWE announced that McIntyre was released from his WWE contract.


Return to ICW (2014–2017)

Galloway, under his real name, made his first post-WWE appearance on 27 July 2014, returning to work for
Mark Dallas Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...
at
Insane Championship Wrestling Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted to ...
(ICW) for the first time in seven years and beginning a feud with
Jack Jester Lee Greig (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jack Jester He wrestles for numerous promotions in the British independent wrestling circuit, but is best known for his work in Insane ...
. On 2 November at ICW's "Fear & Loathing VII" event at The Barrowlands, Galloway defeated Jester in the main event to become a two-time ICW Heavyweight Champion. Galloway made his first international ICW title defense in Denmark on 20 December in a double championship triple threat match against Danish Pro Wrestling Champion Michael Fynne and Chaos, where he both retained the ICW title and gained the DPW Heavyweight Championship. Galloway competed in his final match of 2014 in a surprise appearance at ICW's "Space Baws 5: Bill Murray Strikes Back" by answering the challenge of Lewis Girvan, who had been goading Galloway for a match– Galloway defeated Girvan to retain the ICW Heavyweight Championship. Following the match, he announced his intention to make the title a
world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
by continuing to defend it internationally. On 25 January 2015 at "Square Go", Galloway retained the title against Chris Renfrew. On 9 February, after retaining against
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
in a match for the
Family Wrestling Entertainment Family Wrestling Entertainment, also known as FWE, was an independent professional wrestling promotion. The company was based and ran shows in New York. They hosted a show about every four months. All of their shows are available on iPPV and also ...
promotion in New York, he subsequently renamed it the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. Galloway defended the championship in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
for the first time on 20 March, defeating Andy Phoenix at an Outback Championship Wrestling TV taping. Galloway made his first defence in Scotland as "World Champion" by defeating Joe Coffey in the main-event of BarraMania on 28 March. On 5 April, Galloway made his first defense of the ICW title in England defeating Doug Williams at a
Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wrestling currently has partnershi ...
(RPW) show and on 6 April, Galloway made his first ICW title defence in Ireland at a Pro Wrestling Ulster show, defeating
Joe Hendry Joseph Samuel Hendry (born 1 May 1988) is a Scottish Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler, Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, and musician better known as Joe Hendry. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). H ...
, TRON and Luther Valentine in a Four Way. On 11 April, Galloway defeated
Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...
to retain the World Championship, after the match both men were attacked by returning former champion Jack Jester. The following night, Galloway suffered his first loss in ICW since his return, where he and
Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...
lost to Jack Jester and Sabu after Grado was pinned. On 18 April, Galloway defeated both Jack Jester and Grado in a triple threat match to retain his championship again, before having the championship stolen post-match by Sabu. The following night at "Alex Kidd in London" at KOKO, Galloway regained possession of the belt and retained his championship in an Elimination Three Way Dance against Sabu and Jack Jester. Galloway finished the "Insane Entertainment Tour" by defeating
Mikey Whiplash Michael John Gilbert (born 16 July 1980) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mikey Whiplash. He currently resides in Glasgow, Scotland and wrestles for numerous promotions in the British Independent circuit, most ...
in the Main-Event of "Flawless Victory" on 2 May, to once again retain the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. On 16 October at a Max Wrestling show in Germany, Galloway successfully defended the ICW World Championship in a triple threat against Apu Singh and Chaos, in which Chaos' UEWA European Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. At Shug's Hoose Party 2, Galloway turned heel along with Jack Jester and ICW GM Red Lightning as they aligned to form 'The Black Label'. With Jester's help, he successfully defended the championship against
Big Damo Damian Mackle (born 20 February 1985) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Killian Dain and since his departure from WWE he has reverted back to his ring name on the indep ...
in the main event. Galloway successfully retained his World Championship against
Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
, Joey D and
Kris Travis Kris Travis (16 December 1983 – 31 March 2016) was a British professional wrestler. He was a staple of the UK and European independent wrestling scenes, working for companies such as PROGRESS Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling, Preston ...
throughout the rest of the summer. As part of the "Road to Fear & Loathing" tour, Galloway made successful title defenses of the ICW title against
Rampage Brown Oliver Biney (born 8 August 1983) is a British professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, performing under the ring name Rampage Brown. He is known for his work throughout the European and British independent wrestling circuit. However, R ...
, Doug Williams, Matt Daly and Coach Trip. During the tour, Galloway also teamed with Black Label stablemate Jack Jester to challenge Polo Promotions for the
ICW Tag Team Championship The ICW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling) owned by Scotland's Insane Championship Wrestling promotion. Complimenting ICW's two established singles titles ( ICW World Heavyweight Championship a ...
s but were defeated following interference from Grado. On 15 November, Galloway lost the title against Grado at Fear & Loathing VIII. Galloway returned to ICW in February 2016 for the UK & Ireland tour, scoring wins over Mark Coffey,
Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, and is a record setting two-time NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He also wrestles for Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW ...
and
BT Gunn Thomas McGowan (born 2 April 1986) is a Scottish professional wrestler, better known by his ring name B. T. Gunn. Gunn is a Wrestling Coach at the GPWA Glasgow Asylum. He also wrestles for numerous promotions in the British independent circuit ...
, but suffering a loss in a match against Chris Renfrew for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. On 29 May 2016, in the main event of the
Fight Network Fight Network is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The network broadcasts programming related to combat sports, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, and professional wre ...
premiere episode of "ICW Friday Night Fight Club", Galloway and Jester defeated The Local Fire (
Joe Hendry Joseph Samuel Hendry (born 1 May 1988) is a Scottish Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler, Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, and musician better known as Joe Hendry. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). H ...
& Davey Boy). Galloway was then out of action from August until November due to a back injury but appeared on ICW shows in non-wrestling roles to further his feud with
Mark Dallas Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...
. On 19 November, Galloway announced his departure from ICW due to the severity of his injuries, reconciling with
Mark Dallas Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted ...
before attacking Dallas and revealing it to have been a rouse. It was announced on 1 February 2018 that Galloway would be inducted into the ICW Hall of Fame.


Evolve (2014–2017)

On 8 August 2014 Galloway debuted for Evolve, defeating
Chris Hero Chris Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of independent wrestling pr ...
for the
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The inaugural champion was crowned on April ...
. His first loss in Evolve came at ''Evolve 33'', in a Champion vs Champion match against the DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate champion
Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
. Galloway continued to defend the Evolve championship stateside against the likes of Caleb Konley,
Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...
, Devin Thomas,
Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). E ...
and Victor Sterling at independent events across the US and
Rich Swann Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cham ...
on Evolve iPPV at Evolve 34, while also defending the championship internationally in Scotland against Kid Fite, Johnny Moss, Big Damo and Andy Wild, as well as in England, where he retained over reigning
NWA World Tag Team Champion The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA Worl ...
Davey Boy Smith Jr. Harry Francis Smith (born August 2, 1985) is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Davey Boy Smith Jr. and his real name Harry Smith. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he was o ...
Following multiple international title defenses, Galloway renamed his title the "Evolve World Championship" on 9 January 2015. Galloway made his first successful defense as World Champion the following night at Evolve 37, defeating Ricochet. The international title defenses continued on 20 March 2015, where Galloway defeated Andy Phoenix in a Triple Championship match for Australian promotion Outback Championship Wrestling, retaining both the Evolve and ICW World Championships and winning Phoenix's OCW Heavyweight Championship. At Evolve 39, he retained the Evolve Championship over
PJ Black Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation w ...
. At Mercury Rising 2015, Galloway defeated
Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...
for the
Dragon Gate USA Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice Pr ...
Open the Freedom Gate Championship The Open the Freedom Gate Championship was the major title in the promotion Dragon Gate USA. The first holder of the title was crowned following a 14-man tournament held at DGUSA Freedom Fight on November 28, 2009. The title was recognized by Drag ...
in a Title vs Title match, where he retained the Evolve Championship to become a double champion. Galloway made a series of defenses of the Evolve and DGUSA titles between 4 and 6 April 2015 in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, defeating
Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) as the leader of the stable Villain Enterprises, where he was a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and a on ...
, Doug Williams and Joe Hendry, Tron and Luther Valentine in a Four Way. At Evolve 43, Galloway made his first standalone defense of the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate championship, defeating
Biff Busick Christopher Girard (born December 21, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a coach at their Performance Center. Previously he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Oney Lorcan. He is a former NXT Tag ...
. At Evolve 44, Galloway defeated Roderick Strong to retain the Evolve Championship, ending their feud. On 10 July, Galloway lost both the Evolve World Championship and the Open the Freedom Gate Championship to
Timothy Thatcher {{Infobox professional wrestler , name = Timothy Thatcher , image = ThatcherMLW2019.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Thatcher at MLW Saturday Night SuperFight , birth_name = Timothy Andrew Moura{{cite web, ur ...
; at this point Galloway was the longest reigning Evolve champion in history and set the record for most successful title defenses. At Evolve 46, after defeating
Trent Barreta Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...
, he was attacked by The Premiere Athlete Brand, but afterwards, uncharacteristically attacked
Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
, threatened SoCal Val and assaulted a referee. Galloway was subsequently suspended from EVOLVE. He returned at Evolve 51, where he defeated FIP World Heavyweight Champion Caleb Konley. At Evolve 52, he received a rematch against Thatcher for the Evolve Championship but lost. Between 22 and 24 January 2016, Galloway and Johnny Gargano entered a three-day tournament to crown the inaugural Evolve Tag Team Champions. At Evolve 53, they defeated Catch Point (
Drew Gulak Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and an eight-time ...
and
T. J. Perkins Theodore James Perkins (born September 3, 1984) is an American professional wrestler of Filipino descent, better known by the ring name T. J. Perkins (or simply TJP) currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling where he is a member of the Unite ...
),
The Bravado Brothers The Bravado Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Harlem Bravado (born Chance Barrow on April 22, 1989) and Lancelot Bravado (born Houston Barrow on September 16, 1985). The duo have worked for ...
at Evolve 54, and in the finals at Evolve 55, they defeated Chris Hero and Tommy End to win the tournament and championship. They lost the title to Drew Gulak and
Tracy Williams Tracy Williams is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for Ring of Honor (ROH) where he is a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with Foundation teammate Rhett Titus. He is also a former ROH World Television Champion. Prior to R ...
on 2 April. Following the match, Galloway claimed that he spent his entire title reign as Evolve champion bringing legitimacy to Evolve, only for WWE and more specifically NXT to come and squash everything he did, while also claiming the company's working relationship with WWE was compromising independent wrestling. Galloway then turned on Gargano, attacking him and Ethan Page, whom he defeated at Evolve 60. Over the following months, Galloway aligned himself with other WWE stars. Galloway and
Ethan Carter III Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. He ...
defeated Gargano and TJP in the street fight main event at Evolve 62 with help from Hero, who joined their group and claimed Cody Rhodes would be joining the group. At Evolve 63, Galloway defeated Page in an "Anything Goes" match. At Evolve 64, a match between Galloway and Gulak was rescheduled as an Evolve Tag Team Championship main-event match between Catch Point and Galloway and the returning Chuck Taylor (now under the name "Dustin"), in which they won the titles, making Galloway the first ever two-time Evolve Tag Team Champion. At Evolve 65, Galloway defeated Gargano. Dustin and Galloway made their first Evolve Tag Team Championship defense at Evolve 67 on 20 August 2016, teaming with EC3 against
Fred Yehi Fred Yehi is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in Full Impact Pro, Major League Wrestling and Evolve. Professional wrestling career Evolve and Full Impact Pro (2015–2020) Yehi made his Evolve debut at E ...
, TJP and Ethan Page (replacement for Tracy Williams) in a no disqualification six man tag-team match, which they lost after EC3 was pinned, also resulting in a title change. Galloway also built a feud with former partner Cody Rhodes and veteran announcer
Joey Styles Joseph Carmine Bonsignore (born July 14, 1971) better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling commentator. He is best known for his time with ECW and WWE. Before working for WWE, Styles was a full-time p ...
, after they both refused his invitation to join his "crusade". On 13 November, while Galloway was out with an injury, their replacement, Chris Hero, lost the Evolve Tag Team Championship. However, it was announced that, despite supposed champions Catch Point holding the physical belts, Evolve continued to recognize Galloway and Dustin as the Evolve Tag Team Champions.


Return to the independent circuit (2014–2017)

Following his WWE release, Galloway returned to the Independent circuit, wrestling in different countries and winning titles in Australia, Denmark, Scotland, and other regions. On 30 August 2014, WrestleZone Scotland held their annual "Battle of the Nations" match, which saw Galloway represent Scotland in a winning effort over England representative Andy Wilde; he retained the EVOLVE Championship during the match. In November, Galloway debuted for
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
's
House of Hardcore House of Hardcore (HOH) is an American wrestling promotion founded by professional wrestler Tommy Dreamer. Its slogan is "No Politics, No BS, Just Wrestling." In its history, HOH has run events in twelve states and three countries. History O ...
promotion at "HOH VII", losing to
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...
. On 23 January 2015, Galloway competed in a one-night tournament for the International Wrestling Federation (IWF) World Championship, defeating
Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent pro ...
to advance to the finals, where he faced
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button
, Chris Hero and
Uhaa Nation Sesugh Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. He started his career in 2009, originally working under the ring name ...
in an elimination four way for the vacant title in a losing effort. On 24 April, Galloway defeated Doug Williams to win the Scottish Wrestling Alliance's
Scottish Heavyweight Championship The Scottish Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the Scottish Wrestling Alliance. It was first won by Conscience who defeated Eric Canyon, Adam Shane, and Hatred in Scotland on 17 July 2004. The title has generally been defend ...
. He made his first successful defense the following night, defeating SWA Tag Team Champion Mark Coffey in the main event. In a rematch in November, Galloway lost the title to Coffey. In May 2015, Galloway debuted for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "triple A"; an abbreviation of its or ...
(AAA), teaming with Angelico and
El Mesias Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...
against Matt Hardy, Mr. Anderson and
Johnny Mundo John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name John Morrison. He is best known for his time in WWE, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Hennigan currently makes ap ...
. He returned to Mexico in November to main-event a series of AAA affiliated shows, working three six-man tag matches against
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...
,
Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Demo ...
and
Dr. Wagner Jr. Juan Manuel González Barrón (born August 12, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador'' (Spanish for "professional wrestler") who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner Jr., having used that name since 1987. He is the son of Manuel González Rivera ...
; his partners included Matt Cross, Carlito and
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
. In August 2015, Galloway debuted for
Preston City Wrestling Pro Championship Wrestling (PCW UK) is a British owned independent professional wrestling promotion established as Preston City Wrestling in 2011. It was re-branded as Pro Championship Wrestling in 2020, and is still stylised as PCW. PCW runs t ...
(PCW) and feuded with
Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli-Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, and is a record setting two-time NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He also wrestles for Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW ...
, where they traded wins and losses. Galloway returned to PCW in February 2016, entering the "Road to Glory" tournament, defeating Martin Kirby, Mr. Anderson and Noam Dar, before losing to Rampage Brown in the finals. In February 2016, it was announced that Galloway would enter the
Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...
(wXw) "16 Carat Gold Tournament". Galloway defeated
Silas Young Caleb DeWall (born August 9, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Silas Young. He was last contracted for Ring of Honor, where he is a two-time ROH World Television Champion, although he has not appeared on ...
in the first round and Angelico in the quarter-finals, but lost immediately to Axel Dieter Jr. in the semi-finals. On 4 June, Galloway became the #1 contender for the PCW Heavyweight Championship by winning the "There Can Be Only One" Gauntlet. On 25 June, Galloway main-evented the first HD iPPV in European Wrestling history when he returned to PCW at their "Tribute to the Troops 3" show, receiving his championship opportunity; he lost a PCW Heavyweight Championship triple threat match with Sha Samuels and Noam Dar after Samuels submitted Dar. On 19 August, Galloway debuted for the House of Glory (HOG) promotion in New York, where he faced a surprise opponent of Low Ki in a losing effort, after Low Ki answered Galloway's request for a replacement opponent to the absent Chris Dickinson. Galloway debuted for All American Wrestling, AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined (AAW) in a losing effort to Chris Hero on 1 September at "Cero Miedo". At "Unstoppable 2016" on 30 December, after defeating Jeff Cobb, he stated his intention to wrestle for AAW more frequently. On 20 January 2017, Galloway defeated two-time AAW Heavyweight Championship, AAW Heavyweight Champion Silas Young in Young's AAW farewell match at "Don't Stop Believing". Galloway debuted for What Culture Pro Wrestling on 24 August 2016, at "WCPW Stacked", defeating Doug Williams. He defeated Joseph Conners (wrestler), Joseph Conners and
Joe Hendry Joseph Samuel Hendry (born 1 May 1988) is a Scottish Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler, Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, and musician better known as Joe Hendry. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). H ...
in a three-way cage match on 30 November to become the new WCPW Champion. Galloway retained the championship against the likes of Hendry, Will Ospreay, Bully Ray and Joe Coffey on the weekly "Loaded" show iPPV events. Following the announcement that Galloway had signed with NXT, a 30-man Battle royal (professional wrestling), Rumble was announced for the WCPW World Championship with Galloway defending and entering at #1. Galloway was the 28th man eliminated from the rumble, ultimately losing the match and title to Martin Kirby on 29 April 2017. On 30 April, Galloway made his final appearance in WCPW at the Pro Wrestling World Cup Mexican Qualifying, losing to
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
. Galloway returned to the ring following injury at ICW's Fear & Loathing IX event on 20 November as part of Team Black Label in the battle for 100% control of the company. Galloway returned to AAW for their "Homecoming" event on 17 March 2017, defeating Zema Ion before announcing his intention to challenge for the AAW Heavyweight Championship. That same week, Galloway returned to IPW:UK for the first time since 2005, defeating Rampage Brown on 19 March 2017 at "Supershow 7".


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling


The Rising and championship pursuits (2015–2016)

On 29 January 2015, Galloway made a surprise debut under his real name for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling during the tapings of ''Impact Wrestling (TV series), Impact Wrestling'' as a face in Glasgow, Scotland, coming to the aid of TNA British Boot Camp season 2 competitor
Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...
and entering a feud with The Beat Down Clan. The following night, Galloway competed in his first official match for TNA, answering the Beat Down Clan's challenge, he defeated Kenny King (wrestler), Kenny King. On 27 March episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', he formed the stable "The Rising (professional wrestling), The Rising" with L. A. Knight, Eli Drake and Tanga Loa, Micah. On 10 April episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', The Rising defeated The BDC by disqualification when a masked man (Homicide (wrestler), Homicide) ran out and attacked Galloway. On 24 April episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', after a match between Micah and Kenny King ended, Galloway and the members of The Rising came to help, only to be beaten down. At Hardcore Justice (2015), Hardcore Justice on 1 May, Galloway defeated Low Ki in a Steel Pipe on a Pole match. At Slammiversary (2015), Slammiversary on 28 June, Galloway competed at the King of the Mountain match for the vacant TNA King of the Mountain Championship in a losing effort. On 1 July episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', The Beat Down Clan defeated The Rising in a 4-on-3 Handicap match, forcing The Rising to dissolve. On 15 July episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway won a 20-man battle royal to earn the right to face
Ethan Carter III Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. He ...
for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship later that night, but lost the match after his former The Rising teammate, Eli Drake, attacked him. At No Surrender (2015), No Surrender on 5 August, Galloway lost to Drake. They had a rematch at Turning Point (2015 wrestling), Turning Point on 19 August, this time with a No Disqualification stipulation, which Galloway won. On 16 September episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Team TNA (Galloway, Bobby Lashley, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards and Thom Latimer, Bram) defeated Team GFW (Jeff Jarrett, Eric Young (wrestler), Eric Young, Chris Masters, Chris Mordetzky, Curt Hawkins, Brian Myers and Sonjay Dutt) in a Lethal Lockdown match to oust GFW from TNA when Galloway pinned Myers after a Future Shock DDT onto a trash can. On 23 September episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', after winning a five-way elimination match against Thom Latimer, Bram, Bobby Lashley, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards; Galloway became the number one contender for Ethan Carter III's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. At Bound for Glory (2015), Bound for Glory on 4 October, Galloway competed in a three-way match for the world title, which was won by
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
. During October and November, Galloway participated in the TNA World Title Series for the vacant title, which he qualified to the round of 16 by defeating Thom Latimer, Bram, Drake Maverick, Rockstar Spud and
Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...
. However, he failed to advance the round of 8 where was defeated in the main event by Lashley, thus being eliminated from the TNA World Title Series. Galloway entered a short-lived storyline with Kurt Angle; at TNA One Night Only#One Night Only: Live, TNA One Night Only: Live, Galloway and Angle competed in a 3-Way TNA World Tag Team Championship match, which The American Wolves, The Wolves won. On 12 January 2016 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway lost to Angle. Galloway earned a future TNA World Heavyweight Championship match by grabbing the briefcase that contained said title shot in the 2016 Feast or Fired match. They faced off in a rematch in Manchester, England on 9 February episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', which Galloway won. After the match, he bowed before Angle, showing respect due to it being part of Angle's farewell tour.


Championship reigns (2016–2017)

On 15 March episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase and defeated
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career, thus becoming the first-ever Scottish-born TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Galloway announced his plan to be "the first travelling World Champion since Ric Flair" and touted upcoming independent defenses across Europe and the United States. He made his first title defense on 29 March episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', defeating Jeff Hardy to retain the title. On the 5 April episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway defeated Matt Hardy in a rematch for TNA World Heavyweight Championship. At Sacrifice (2016), Sacrifice on 26 April, Galloway overcame rib injuries inflicted from having been repeatedly speared by Bobby Lashley, Lashley to retain his title over the Bound for Glory (2015), Bound for Gold winner Tyrus (wrestler), Tyrus. On 17 May episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway won a lumberjack match against Lashley, who was at the time the #1 contender, by disqualification after he was dragged from the ring and assaulted by the heel lumberjacks, thus retaining his championship. Galloway lost the title to Lashley at Slammiversary (2016), Slammiversary on 12 June, ending his reign at 89 days. Galloway was twice unsuccessful in regaining his championship from Lashley due to the involvement of Ethan Carter III. Galloway and Carter came to blows in an unsanctioned fight at Destination X (2016), Destination X on 12 July which ended in a no contest. Galloway was one of the eight men to enter the Bound for Glory Series#2016, Bound for Glory Playoff tournament to challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory (2016), Bound for Glory. On 22 July episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway defeated Thom Latimer, Bram in the first round of the tournament but was eliminated from the semi-finals by Mike Bennett following interference from Moose (wrestler), Moose and a third inadvertent collision with EC3. On 25 August episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway faced Ethan Carter III in a losing effort for a world title shot against Lashley at Bound for Glory (2016), Bound for Glory. After the match, he attacked the special guest referee Aron Stevens, Aron Rex, turning heel in the process. Galloway and Rex later feuded with each other, with both men joined the qualifying tournament for the inaugural Impact Grand Championship. After defeating Braxton Sutter in the quarterfinals and Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards (via split decision) in the semi-finals, he was scheduled to face Rex in the finals at Bound for Glory to crown the first Grand Champion, but due to an injury he was replaced by Edwards. On 8 December episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Galloway made his return by interrupting the Impact Grand Champion Moose (wrestler), Moose and criticising the company. On 19 January 2017, Galloway made his in-ring return to TNA, defeating Moose to win the Impact Grand Championship. Galloway retained the title three times, defeating Moose in a rematch at Genesis (2017), Genesis on 27 January, Mahabali Shera on the 9 February episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', and Rob Ryzin before losing the championship back to Moose via split decision in a second rematch on 2 March episode of ''Impact Wrestling''. On 26 February 2017, Galloway confirmed that he had parted ways with TNA.


Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2015–2016)

Galloway debuted for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in August 2015, competing in the Battle of Los Angeles (professional wrestling), Battle of Los Angeles tournament. He was eliminated by eventual finalist "Speedball" Mike Bailey on Night 2 before teaming with Chuck Taylor, Aero Star,
Drew Gulak Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and an eight-time ...
and Trent in a winning ten-man tag effort the following night, against Timothy Thatcher, Andrew Everett, Drago (wrestler), Drago, Mark Andrews (wrestler), Mark Andrews and
Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent pro ...
. He returned to PWG on 2 January 2016, for "Lemmy", where he scored his first PWG singles victory over former PWG World Tag Team Championship, PWG World Tag Team Champion Jack Evans (wrestler), Jack Evans. Galloway was granted a title shot at "Bowie" on 12 February 2016, challenging former rival Roderick Strong for the PWG World Championship, but lost. Following the match, Galloway was attacked by Strong and Adam Cole until Zack Sabre Jr. made the save. Galloway returned to PWG in March to face Trent and Trevor Lee (wrestler), Trevor Lee at "All Star Weekend 12", but lost both contests. He returned to his winning ways at "Prince" on 20 May 2016, issuing an open challenge and defeating Michael Elgin.


Return to WWE


NXT Champion (2017–2018)

On 1 April 2017, Galloway, once again billed as Drew McIntyre, was shown on-screen sitting in the front row at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. It was later confirmed in an exclusive interview with ESPN that he had re-signed with
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
, and would perform in its
developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
. On 12 April episode of ''NXT'', McIntyre made his NXT re-debut as a
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
, with new entrance music and displaying mannerisms he had developed on the independent circuit, defeating Oney Lorcan. On 19 July episode of ''NXT'', McIntyre defeated Killian Dain to become the #1 contender for the NXT Championship, earning the right to challenge Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. At the event on 19 August, McIntyre defeated Roode to win the NXT Championship. Following the match, McIntyre was attacked by Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, and the debuting Adam Cole. On the 4 October episode of ''NXT'', McIntyre successfully retained his title against Roderick Strong. Over the next few weeks, McIntyre began a feud with Andrade (wrestler), Andrade "Cien" Almas, that led to general manager William Regal scheduling a championship match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2017), NXT TakeOver: WarGames. The night before that event, McIntyre successfully defended his championship against Adam Cole, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee at a house show in San Antonio, Texas. The title defense eventually aired on the WWE Network on 3 January 2018. On 18 November at WarGames, McIntyre lost the NXT Championship to Almas, marking his first loss in NXT. It was then revealed that McIntyre suffered a torn bicep towards the end of the match.


Various alliances (2018–2019)

On 16 April 2018, during the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Superstar Shake-up, McIntyre returned from injury on ''Raw'', attacking Titus Worldwide (Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews) and aligning himself with Dolph Ziggler, turning heel in the process. McIntyre and Ziggler defeated Titus Worldwide the following week. On 18 June episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre assisted Ziggler in winning the Intercontinental Championship from
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
. The following week on ''Raw'', Rollins defeated Ziggler by disqualification in a rematch for the championship following interference from McIntyre, allowing Ziggler to retain the title. After the match,
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WW ...
came out to help Rollins fend off McIntyre and Ziggler. With Rollins set to challenge Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules (2018), Extreme Rules in an Iron man match, McIntyre faced Rollins on the 9 July episode of ''Raw'' to determine whether or not he would be allowed at ringside, where McIntyre was victorious. At the event on 15 July, the match went into sudden death overtime, and McIntyre distracted Rollins, allowing Ziggler to retain. On 27 August episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre and Ziggler formed an alliance with Braun Strowman, after he turned on Roman Reigns in a tag team match. The following week on ''Raw'', McIntyre and Ziggler defeated The B-Team (
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
and Curtis Axel) to win the Raw Tag Team Championship, beginning their first reign together and McIntyre's second reign individually. McIntyre and Ziggler successfully defended the titles against Seth Rollins and
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...
at Hell in a Cell (2018), Hell in a Cell on 16 September. At Super Show-Down (2018), Super Show-Down on 6 October, McIntyre, Ziggler, and Braun Strowman lost to
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt poli ...
(Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins). On 22 October episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre and Ziggler lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Rollins and Ambrose, when Braun Strowman attacked McIntyre. At Survivor Series (2018), Survivor Series on 18 November, McIntyre competed as a member of Team Raw in the Survivor Series match, where he, Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman were the survivors for Team Raw. On 3 December episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre attacked Ziggler, saying that he was only using him to make a statement, ending their partnership. Ziggler fulfilled his role to bring McIntyre back to the top, causing Ziggler to interrupt and ultimately assault McIntyre, leading to an impromptu match between the two, in which Ziggler defeated McIntyre following Bálor's interference, thus giving McIntyre his first pinfall loss since his return to the main roster. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2018), TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 16 December, McIntyre lost to Bálor following Ziggler's interference. On 31 December episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a steel cage match, ending their feud. At Royal Rumble (2019), Royal Rumble on 27 January 2019, McIntyre entered at #16 and failed to win the Royal Rumble match after being eliminated by Ziggler. Leading up to Fastlane (2019), Fastlane, McIntyre resumed his feud with The Shield. At Fastlane on 10 March, McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley lost to The Shield. The next night on ''Raw'', McIntyre viciously assaulted Roman Reigns before his scheduled match up with Baron Corbin; this led to a falls count anywhere match with Dean Ambrose later that night, which McIntyre won. On 18 March episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre challenged Reigns to a match at WrestleMania 35, before defeating Seth Rollins in the main event. The next week on ''Raw'', Reigns accepted McIntyre's challenge before the two began brawling, McIntyre eventually got the upper hand and laid Reigns out with the Claymore Kick. At WrestleMania on 7 April, McIntyre lost to Reigns. On 6 May episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre interrupted Reigns and demanded a WrestleMania rematch, which Reigns accepted and defeated McIntyre by disqualification. After that, McIntyre allied himself with Shane McMahon, becoming his enforcer. At Super ShowDown (2019), Super ShowDown on 7 June, McMahon defeated Reigns with help from McIntyre. Afterwards, another match between McIntyre and Reigns was scheduled for WWE Stomping Grounds, Stomping Grounds on 23 June, where Reigns defeated McIntyre despite interference from McMahon. McIntyre and McMahon lost to Reigns and The Undertaker in a Professional wrestling match types, No Holds Barred tag team match at Extreme Rules (2019), Extreme Rules on 14 July, ending their feud. Shortly after Extreme Rules, McIntyre ended his association with McMahon and continued his singles run. In August, McIntyre competed in the King of the Ring (2019), King of the Ring tournament, but was eliminated in the first round by
Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
. After a brief hiatus, McIntyre returned on 21 October episode of ''Raw'', where he was revealed as a member of Ric Flair's team at Crown Jewel (2019), Crown Jewel. At the event on 31 October, Team Flair lost to Hulk Hogan, Team Hogan. At Survivor Series (2019), Survivor Series on 24 November, McIntyre was made up part of Team Raw in a losing effort to Team SmackDown in a 5-on-5-on-5 Survivor Series match, also involving Team NXT.


WWE Champion (2020–2021)

From late 2019 to early 2020, McIntyre embarked on a winning streak, while vowing to win the upcoming Royal Rumble match and receive his first world championship opportunity, while also showing signs of a face turn in the process, becoming more respectful towards his opponents and the fans. At Royal Rumble (2020), Royal Rumble on 26 January, McIntyre won the Royal Rumble match by lastly eliminating Roman Reigns, earning himself a championship opportunity at
WrestleMania 36 WrestleMania 36 was the 36th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
. In the match, McIntyre eliminated six participants, including
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
. The following night on ''Raw'', McIntyre announced that he chose to challenge Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36, thus turning face in the process. In the main event of the second night of WrestleMania 36 on April 5, McIntyre defeated Lesnar to capture the WWE Championship. McIntyre made his first successful title defense against
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
on the same night in WrestleMania 36, which was televised the following night on ''Raw'', before moving onto a feud with
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
, leading to a championship match between the two at Money in the Bank (2020), Money in the Bank on 10 May, which McIntyre won. On 18 May episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre started a feud with Bobby Lashley after Lashley and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP observed McIntyre's match from the stage. At Backlash (2020), Backlash on 14 June, he retained the title against Lashley. At The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on 19 July, he retained the championship against Dolph Ziggler. McIntyre then transitioned into a feud with Randy Orton for his WWE Championship, culminating in successful championship defenses against Orton at SummerSlam (2020), SummerSlam on 23 August in a singles match, and again in an Ambulance match at Clash of Champions (2020), Clash of Champions on 27 September. On 9 October episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre was the number one draft pick and was drafted to remain on the Raw brand. At Hell in a Cell (2020), Hell in a Cell on 25 October, McIntyre lost to Orton in a Hell in a Cell match for the championship, ending McIntyre's first reign at 203 days (202 days as recognised by WWE) and suffering his first loss in 2020. On 16 November episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre regained the WWE Championship after defeating Randy Orton in a no disqualification match, taking Orton's place to face the Universal Champion
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WW ...
at Survivor Series (2020), Survivor Series on 22 November in an interbrand champion vs. champion match, which McIntyre lost via technical submission following interference from Jey Uso. McIntyre successfully defended the title against A.J. Styles and
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
, who cashed in his Money in the Bank ladder match, Money in the Bank contract at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2020), TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 20 December in a Professional wrestling match types, triple threat Tables, ladders, and chairs match. McIntyre and Orton were scheduled to face off again on 11 January 2021, but the match was cancelled after it was announced that McIntyre had tested positive for Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19; he recovered soon after. McIntyre retained the title against Keith Lee on an episode of ''Raw'' and against Bill Goldberg, Goldberg at the Royal Rumble (2021), Royal Rumble on 31 January. At Elimination Chamber (2021), Elimination Chamber on 21 February, McIntyre retained the title in a Elimination Chamber match, elimination chamber match against Randy Orton, Sheamus, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston. After the match, he was attacked by Bobby Lashley and The Miz who cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase (that he got reinstated due to a loophole in the contract), performing the Skull-Crushing Finale to pin McIntyre and win the WWE Championship, ending McIntyre's second reign at 97 days (96 days as recognised by WWE). On the first night of WrestleMania 37 on April 10, McIntyre challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship in a losing effort after interference from MVP. At WrestleMania Backlash (2021), WrestleMania Backlash on 16 May, McIntyre also challenged Lashley in a triple threat match for the title also involving Braun Strowman but was unsuccessful once again. On 31 May episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre started teasing with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...
about not beating Brock Lesnar, something that he had done at WrestleMania 36, but after his match he showed respect to Kingston, shaking hands with him after winning the match against him to earn a WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell (2021), Hell in a Cell against Bobby Lashley, with the added stipulation of a Last Chance Hell in a Cell match, which meant that if McIntyre lost, he could no longer challenge for the championship, as long as Lashley remained champion. At the event on 20 June, McIntyre failed once again to defeat Lashley for the title after interference from MVP.


Various feuds (2021–present)

Shortly after this, McIntyre failed to qualify for Money in the Bank ladder match after losing to Riddle on 21 June episode of ''Raw,'' but won a last-chance qualifying match on 28 June, defeating Riddle and AJ Styles to enter the match. At the Money in the Bank (2021), event on 18 July, McIntyre failed to win the briefcase after being attacked by
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
, Rinku Singh (wrestler), Veer, and Dilsher Shanky, Shanky. It was announced via WWE's social media, that McIntyre would face Mahal at SummerSlam (2021), SummerSlam. On 16 August episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre defeated Veer and Shanky in order to ban them from ringside at SummerSlam. At the event on 21 August, McIntyre defeated Mahal. On 30 August episode of ''Raw'', McIntyre failed to win the United States Championship in a triple threat match also involving Sheamus after the champion Damian Priest pinned McIntyre. On 27 September episode of ''Raw'', he returned after a couple of weeks of absence, confronting WWE Champion Big E (wrestler), Big E after his successful title defense against Lashley. As part of the 2021 WWE Draft, 2021 Draft, McIntyre was drafted to the SmackDown brand. At Crown Jewel (2021), Crown Jewel on 21 October, McIntyre faced Big E for the WWE Championship, but lost. At Survivor Series (2021), Survivor Series on 21 November, McIntyre was the captain of Team SmackDown, but he was eliminated via count out and his team lost the match to Team Raw, with
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
being the sole survivor. On 3 December episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre started a feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss after they made fun of how McIntyre was not in a battle royal with the winner becoming the number one contender for the WWE Universal Championship, Universal Championship. On 17 December episode of ''SmackDown'', it was announced that he would face Moss at WWE Day 1 (2022), Day 1. At Day 1 on 1 January 2022, McIntyre defeated Moss. McIntyre participated in the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble (2022), namesake event on 29 January, but was the last competitor eliminated by eventual winner
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
. At Elimination Chamber (2022), Elimination Chamber on 19 February, McIntyre defeated Moss again in a Falls Count Anywhere match; during the match, he performed an inverted Professional wrestling throws#Double leg slam, Alabama Slam, which resulted in Moss landing directly on top of his head, but he was able to continue the match. On the first night of WrestleMania 38 on 2 April, McIntyre defeated Corbin and became the first person to kick out of his finisher, the ''End of Days''. At WrestleMania Backlash (2022), WrestleMania Backlash on 8 May, McIntyre and RK-Bro lost to Roman Reigns and
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
. At Money in the Bank (2022), Money in the Bank on 2 July, McIntyre competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Austin Theory, Theory. On 8 July episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre was scheduled to face Sheamus to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WWE Clash at the Castle, Clash at the Castle, but as Sheamus feigned illness, the match did not occur. The match was later rescheduled for 29 July episode as a "No Holds Barred match, Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook" match, which McIntyre won. At SummerSlam (2022), SummerSlam the following night, Roman Reigns retained the title against Brock Lesnar, confirming that Reigns would be the defending champion against McIntyre at Clash at the Castle. In the weeks leading up to the event, McIntyre was attacked by the debuting Karrion Kross and his wife Scarlett Bordeaux, Scarlett. At WWE Clash at the Castle, Clash at the Castle on 3 September, McIntyre failed to win the titles from Reigns after interference from the debuting Solo Sikoa. On 23 September episode of ''SmackDown'', McIntyre challenged Kross to a strap match at Extreme Rules (2022), Extreme Rules, which he accepted. At the event on 8 October, McIntyre lost to Kross after interference from Scarlett. At Crown Jewel (2022), Crown Jewel on 5 November, McIntyre defeated Kross in a steel cage match by escaping the cage to end their feud. Three weeks later at Survivor Series WarGames on 26 November, McIntyre teamed up with The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Pete Dunne, Butch) and Kevin Owens in a WarGames match against The Bloodline (professional wrestling), The Bloodline in a losing effort.


Other media


Video games

McIntyre is a playable character in the video games ''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'', ''WWE 12'', ''WWE 13'' (Downloadable content, DLC), ''WWE 2K14'', ''WWE 2K18'' (DLC), ''WWE 2K19'', ''WWE 2K20'', ''WWE 2K Battlegrounds'' and ''WWE 2K22''.


Books

McIntyre's autobiography, ''A Chosen Destiny: My Story'', was released on 22 April 2021.


Personal life

Galloway became engaged to American professional wrestler Taryn Terrell (also known as Tiffany) in July 2009, and they were married in Las Vegas in May 2010. They were divorced in May 2011. Galloway married Kaitlyn Frohnapfel on 10 December 2016. They reside in Tampa, Florida. Galloway's mother, Angela, died on 3 November 2012 at the age of 51. Galloway is a supporter of Scottish football club Rangers F.C., Rangers. He is good friends with Irish professional wrestler Sheamus in real life, having come up together in the British and Irish independent circuit.


Championships and accomplishments

* British Championship Wrestling ** BCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times) * CBSSports.com, CBS Sports ** Wrestler of the Year (2020) * Danish Pro Wrestling ** DPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Evolve **
Evolve Championship The Evolve Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the Evolve (professional wrestling), Evolve professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The inaugural champion was crowned on April ...
(Evolve Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** Evolve Tag Team Championship (Evolve Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times, inaugural) – with
Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...
(1) and Chuck Taylor (wrestler), Dustin (1) ** Evolve Tag Team Championship#Championship tournament, Evolve Tag Team Championship Tournament (2016) – with Johnny Gargano **
Open the Freedom Gate Championship The Open the Freedom Gate Championship was the major title in the promotion Dragon Gate USA. The first holder of the title was crowned following a 14-man tournament held at DGUSA Freedom Fight on November 28, 2009. The title was recognized by Drag ...
(Open the Freedom Gate Championship, 1 time) *
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
**
FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship The FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight division ...
(FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) **
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The ch ...
(FCW Florida Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) – with Wade Barrett, Stu Sanders *
Insane Championship Wrestling Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006. It mixes elements of traditional sports entertainment with hardcore wrestling; thus admittance is restricted to ...
** ICW World Heavyweight Championship (ICW World Heavyweight Championship (Scotland)#Reigns, 2 times) ** Insane Championship Wrestling#Hall of Fame, ICW Hall of Fame (2018) ** ICW Award for Moment of the Year (2014) – Surprise return at "Shug's Hoose Party" ** ICW Award for Promo of the Year (2014) – "Shug's Hoose Party" ** ICW Award for Feud of the Year (2016) – The Black Label Vs. Insane Championship Wrestling ** ICW Award for Best on the Mic (2016) * ''Inside The Ropes Magazine'' ** Ranked No. 1 of the top 50 wrestlers in the world in the ''ITR 50'' in 2020. *
Irish Whip Wrestling Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) is an Irish-owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in January 2002. The company is named after a wrestling move called the 'Irish Whip'. IWW runs shows Nationally throughout the whole of Ireland, ...
** IWW International Heavyweight Championship (IWW_International_Heavyweight_Championship, 1 time) * Outback Championship Wrestling ** OCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Preston City Wrestling Pro Championship Wrestling (PCW UK) is a British owned independent professional wrestling promotion established as Preston City Wrestling in 2011. It was re-branded as Pro Championship Wrestling in 2020, and is still stylised as PCW. PCW runs t ...
** There Can Be Only One Gauntlet (2016) * ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' ** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Most Improved Wrestler of the Year, Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2020) ** Ranked No. 4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2020 and 2021 * Scottish Wrestling Alliance **
Scottish Heavyweight Championship The Scottish Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the Scottish Wrestling Alliance. It was first won by Conscience who defeated Eric Canyon, Adam Shane, and Hatred in Scotland on 17 July 2004. The title has generally been defend ...
(NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship, 2 times) * ''Sports Illustrated'' ** Ranked No. 3 of the top 10 wrestlers in 2020 *
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
** Impact Grand Championship (Impact Grand Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** TNA World Heavyweight Championship (List of TNA World Heavyweight Champions, 1 time) ** Feast or Fired (Feast or Fired#2016, 2016 – Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired, World Heavyweight Championship contract) ** TNA One Night Only#Global Impact: USA vs The World, Global Impact Tournament (2015) – with Team International ** TNA One Night Only#Joker's Wild 2016, TNA Joker's Wild (2016) * Union of European Wrestling Alliances ** European Heavyweight Championship (European Heavyweight Championship#UEWA European Heavyweight Championship history, 1 time) * WhatCulture, What Culture Pro Wrestling ** WCPW World Championship (1 time) ** Defiant Wrestling Award for Match of the Year (2017) – Vs. Will Ospreay at "Exit Wounds" *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
**
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
List of WWE Champions, (2 times) ** WWE Intercontinental Championship (List of WWE Intercontinental Champions, 1 time) ** NXT Championship (List of NXT Champions, 1 time) ** WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship (List of WWE Raw Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
(1) and Dolph Ziggler (1) ** Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#WWE, Thirty-first Triple Crown Champion ** Royal Rumble match, Men's Royal Rumble (Royal Rumble (2020), 2020) ** Raw's Gold Medal of Excellence (2018) ** Bumpy Award (2 times) *** Superstar of the Half-Year (2020) *** Lifetime Achievement Award (2021) ** Slammy Award (Slammy Award, 2 times) *** Superstar of the Year (Slammy Award#2020 Slammy Awards, 2020) *** Male Superstar of the Year (Slammy Award#2020 Slammy Awards, 2020) * Wrestlers Reunion Scotland ** The George Kidd Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame (2017)George Kidd Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame
/ref>


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Drew 1985 births 21st-century professional wrestlers Alumni of Glasgow Caledonian University Expatriate professional wrestlers Living people NXT Champions People educated at Prestwick Academy People from Prestwick Scottish expatriates in the United States Scottish male professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Ayr TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWE Champions Impact Grand Champions FCW Florida Heavyweight Champions FCW Florida Tag Team Champions