WWE Rumors: Here’s Why Vince McMahon Previously Gave Up On Drew McIntyre, Per Arn Anderson

Although he has reigned as WWE Champion since he won the title from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 in April, Drew McIntyre is still remembered by many fans for his first stint with the company, in which he ended up in the lower card for several years after substantial early hype. This was among the topics discussed by Arn Anderson on Tuesday’s episode of the ARN podcast, as he looked back on why WWE chairman Vince McMahon apparently gave up so soon on the Scotsman in the early 2010s.

According to WrestlingNews.co, Anderson recalled that McMahon “saw something” in McIntyre that he “really liked” back when he debuted in 2009 and was immediately advertised as the chairman’s “Chosen One.” The former WWE producer said that he believes “that was a shoot at that time,” or real-life sentiment on his former boss’ part. However, when it came to McMahon seemingly losing interest in McIntyre, he added that the young grappler’s push may have been compromised in the early 2010s when he decided to add some muscle to his frame.

“I know that he knew Vince liked body guys and everything but Drew went through a period where he got so lean that it actually a detraction from his look because he is a big tall guy. He got so ripped and he looked like a guy that was fixing to get into an amateur bodybuilding content. I think that hurt him in as much as anything else.”

In addition to his decision to get bigger, McIntyre’s “issues out of the ring” also might have contributed to the loss of his push at that time, Anderson continued. The current All Elite Wrestling producer and occasional on-air talent did not elaborate on what these issues might have been, but he reiterated his belief that McMahon truly saw something good in McIntyre, even during his first WWE run.

As previously noted by The Inquisitr, McIntyre’s initial WWE stint ended in 2014 when he was one of several wrestlers released that summer. At the time of his release, he was one-third of the 3MB faction alongside Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal — a group that had become known as a comedic trio of enhancement talents who lost almost all of their matches. He did, however, enjoy a successful run in Impact Wrestling (then known as TNA) before returning to WWE in 2017.

Per WWE’s official website, McIntyre is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on Sunday.