Drew McIntyre Beats Oney Lorcan in WWE NXT Return

Drew McIntyre officially returned to WWE on Wednesday's edition of NXT.

WWE's official Twitter account provided a replay of his arrival at Full Sail University:

McIntyre defeated Oney Lorcan in a singles match. NXT shared his comments after the victory:

McIntyre showed up in the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Orlando during WrestleMania weekend, his first appearance on WWE programming since the company released him in June 2014.

PWInsider (via Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton) reported McIntyre signed a one-year contract with WWE.

After leaving WWE, the 31-year-old wrestled independently for various companies, including Impact Wrestling and Evolve.

A former intercontinental and tag team champion, McIntyre was often included in the discussion of most underutilized wrestlers in WWE. His future looked bright when he won the Intercontinental Championship at 24, but the promise he showed in the ring failed to materialize.

Although McIntyre earned cult favorite status as one-third of 3MB, getting a fresh start was the best thing he could've received three years ago. He was allowed to re-establish himself as a talented worker deserving of more than what WWE had done with him.

Going to NXT rather than Raw or SmackDown Live is a smart move for McIntyre since he should be able to play a starring role on the brand. NXT, meanwhile, will benefit from having another established star following the annual post-WrestleMania exodus.

For more news, rumors and related stories about Drew Galloway and WWE, check out the WWE stream on Bleacher Report's app.