5 Best Feuds for Drew McIntyre Leading Up to WWE SummerSlam 2020

Of the many memorable moments that transpired at this year's two-day WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre winning the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in the main event of Night 2 was arguably the most satisfying.

The Scot's journey to the top of the card since his first stint with WWE over a decade ago has been well-documented, and he's finally where he belongs among the elite in the main event scene.

A victory over The Beast Incarnate is no small feat, and WWE must capitalize on his hot momentum going forward.

His first defense of the title came at the end of The Show of Shows in footage that aired during Monday's Raw when he battled Big Show in an impromptu matchup. Thankfully, he emerged victorious (albeit by the skin of his teeth), leaving viewers to question who will be next to challenge him for the gold.

The Raw roster is filled with worthy contenders coming out of WrestleMania and the possibilities are limitless now that McIntyre is in possession of the prestigious prize. Having a full-time champ as the face of the flagship show once more will be refreshing and should make the road to SummerSlam fun to follow.

McIntyre cemented his star status with his win over Lesnar on Sunday night, but now it's all about the aftermath and how he'll be booked as champion.

These five feuds would provide him with the most compelling competition possible and ensure his reign is a certifiable success.

Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

Of everyone on the Raw roster right now, no one has gone to war with McIntyre in the ring nearly as often as Seth Rollins.

The two men had countless matches against each other in the latter half of 2018 when the Scot's then-tag team partner, Dolph Ziggler, was feuding with Rollins over the Intercontinental Championship. Most of those matches were won by McIntyre.

It should also be noted that the Scot's victory over The Architect on Raw leading up to WrestleMania 35 (where Rollins captured the Universal Championship) was ultimately forgotten about. That would have been a logical time to transition him into the title picture.

One year later, and both men are far more comfortable in reversed roles. Rollins suffered his first major singles defeat in some time when he lost to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can't vie for Raw's top title again eventually.

As a result of being busy with Owens since dropping the Universal Championship to The Fiend at Crown Jewel in November, The Monday Night Messiah was forced to put any aspirations of regaining the gold to one side.

Assuming that rivalry has run its course, he could easily announce his intentions of challenging McIntyre for the WWE title in the not-too-distant future.

Both men have conquered The Beast at WrestleMania, but the fans turned their backs on Rollins soon after. He can argue the same will soon happen to McIntyre. It's a storyline that essentially writes itself.

Jinder Mahal

Credit: WWE.com

As unappealing as this idea may sound to many on paper, McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal can work as a WWE title feud as long as it's brief and booked as a filler before the Scot moves on to more important opponents.

From a storyline standpoint, it would be perfectly logical for Mahal to target McIntyre and his newly won championship upon his return to the ring.

The Modern Day Maharaja has been out of action with a knee injury since last June. Before that, he had been spinning his wheels on the main roster, despite having held the WWE title for a whopping six months in 2017.

WWE attempted to keep his main event push going in a rivalry with Roman Reigns in 2018 but failed. And at this point, fans don't have much of an incentive to buy into him as a contender again, but the history between the former 3MB stablemates can't be ignored.

As a former WWE champion in his own right, Mahal can claim he reached the mountaintop well before McIntyre and deserves to be in the spot where his ex-teammate is now.

The match may not be an instant classic, but it would be an acceptable main event for an upcoming episode of Raw to help kill time and reintroduce Mahal as an instant threat.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

For someone who once held the WWE Championship for over a year, it's almost unbelievable that AJ Styles has been so far removed from the world title picture for as long as he has.

To his credit, he's been making the most of his upper-midcard role on Raw by turning heel, reforming The O.C. and dominating the United States Championship scene for a time. Once his run with the star-spangled prize came to an end, he floundered until making magic with The Undertaker in the groundbreaking Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36.

After being "buried alive" by The Deadman at the end of that affair, it's safe to say the WWE Universe won't be seeing much of The Phenomenal One on Raw for the foreseeable future.

When Styles makes his triumphant return, ideally in a month or two, his first order of business should be to challenge McIntyre for the WWE Championship. He's been out of the main event mix for long enough that it will mean something when he goes for the gold again.

McIntyre revealed in a recent interview with Adi Kift and EGO Total from Israel (h/t SEScoops) that he aims to one day share a ring with The Phenomenal One. Outside of one televised Triple Threat match also involving Randy Orton in January, the two have never before clashed in singles competition in WWE.

Assuming SummerSlam goes ahead as planned on August 23, McIntyre vs. Styles would be a must-see main event for that pay-per-view.

It would also provide the Scot with the ultimate opportunity to prove his worth as a top-tier talent on Monday nights against one of the best the business has to offer.

Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

The only times McIntyre and Kevin Owens went to war were on a July 2019 episode of SmackDown and then on the final Raw before Survivor Series four months later. Both bouts were entertaining, but the Scot turned face before they had a chance to engage in a full-fledged feud.

It would be difficult for the WWE Universe to decide who to cheer for between these two fan-favorites, but it's a match that makes total sense right now.

Owens put his rivalry with Seth Rollins to rest at WrestleMania 36 on Saturday night when he defeated The Monday Night Messiah with an emphatic Stunner. He then teased going back to being "The Prizefighter" on Monday's Raw, which would have to mean he intends vying for the WWE Championship.

KO has had a handful of opportunities at the top titles on Raw and SmackDown since losing the Universal Championship three years ago. However, he's more of a threat to the titleholder now given how much momentum he has.

McIntyre needs to be going against Raw's finest talents, and Owens has to be included in that conversation. Combined with how strong their in-ring chemistry is, this feud would be something special.

Randy Orton

Credit: WWE.com

Before winning the Royal Rumble and setting his sights on Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship, McIntyre was embroiled in a rivalry with Randy Orton.

Before The Viper could settle his score with AJ Styles on the Jan. 13 edition of Raw, the Scot inserted himself into the matchup and made it a Triple Threat. His pinfall victory over Styles irked Orton and led to the two going one-on-one the following week.

Their hotly contested clash unfortunately ended in a non-finish due to interference from The O.C., but Orton's post-match RKO to McIntyre sent the message that they had unfinished business. Both embarked on different paths en route to WrestleMania, but it's only a matter of time before they cross paths again.

At WrestleMania, McIntyre fulfilled his destiny by beating Lesnar and becoming the new WWE champion, but staying atop the food chain will be a different matter all together. There's no one better at keeping up-and-comers in check and testing their mettle than The Apex Predator.

Some of the best work of Orton's career has come in his recent rivalry with Edge. Despite coming up short at WrestleMania 36, there's no reason to think he wouldn't be equally motivated in a high-profile program with McIntyre.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.