Drew Galloway
Encyclopedia
Andrew "Drew" Galloway (born June 6, 1985) is a Scottish
professional wrestler
signed with WWE, where he wrestles on the Raw
brand
as Drew McIntyre.
He began training from the age of 15 in England, before moving back to Scotland to begin his career. Before long he became a regular in British Championship Wrestling (BCW) using the gimmick "Thee" Drew Galloway, winning their Heavyweight Championship twice along with the Heavyweight Championship of Insane Championship Wrestling. He also found success abroad in Irish Whip Wrestling
, winning their top title. During this time he completed an undergraduate degree
in criminology
.
After touring the independent circuit around the British Isles
, Galloway moved to the United States
in 2007 to sign with WWE. Along with a brief stint on the SmackDown brand, he spent time in developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling
and Florida Championship Wrestling
, winning the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championships
later, before returning to SmackDown and quickly winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship
. In 2010, he held the WWE Tag Team Championship
with Cody Rhodes.
's Academy when his family moved to the south of England
to Portsmouth
. In the FWA Academy he was trained by the promotion's operator Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and James Tighe
. Galloway also cites the promotion's established stars helping out with training, including Doug Williams
, Paul Burchill
and Alex Shane
.
area. While there he honed his wrestling skill further, training under Colin McKay and later Spinner McKenzie and developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky narcissist. His first match, 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 being managed
by Charles Boddington who aided him in his first significant success and would go on to manage him for the next four years. On 5 December, Boddington announced that BCW Heavyweight Champion Spinner McKenzie had been fired and thus would be stripped of the title; Boddington then instantly gave the belt to Galloway. Stevie Knight took exception to this and challenged him to a match that very night at Bad Tidings: Night 1, winning the championship. Galloway earned a non-title win over Knight the following February in 2004, at Night of The Fan but Knight exacted revenge by knocking Galloway out of the King of BCW tournament.
Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he was defeated by The Honky Tonk Man
and later that month lost in a tag team match to Marty Jannetty
and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side. In November, at the aptly titled Lo Down, Galloway main evented in a double count-out match against D'Lo Brown
. He then had a brief series of feuds; in March 2005 he defeated Jay Phoenix but their rematch in November, officiated by Mick Foley
, ended in a no contest. In May 2006 after their lengthy feud in Irish Whip Wrestling
, Galloway lost then won in successive matches against long term rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy.
In November 2006, in the main event of Live in East Kilbride
, Galloway teamed with Lionheart and pinned BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander who was tagging with Wolfgang. This earned put him in contention for the title at December's No Blood, No Sympathy IV. The match was booked as an "I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee with Galloway gaining his second BCW Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to hold the title through most of 2007, vacating it after he relocated to the United States in September.
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. The following day at Gym Wars 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 Galloway recruited various wrestlers, even his manager Boddington, in a series of tag team
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 finally 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.
With his rivalry against Manson settled in their Street Fight and despite having only won one match with the company, Galloway was given a shot at the IwW International Heavyweight Championship owing to his show stealing performances with Manson. On 28 January 2006 he received his first title match against Sheamus O'Shaunessy, evolving their rivalry from previous battles. The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing O'Shaunessy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the Old Firm
football derby
between Glasgow Rangers
and Glasgow Celtic
, respectively. This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club once again for the title, though the match changed into a Lumberjack match, the result and champion remained the same. Galloway remained focussed, proving his dominance and determination for the championship by defeating JC Williams and Brian Roche in a handicap match on 17 March. This match earned him a two out of three falls match against the champion the following day in which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one; the next day produced the same result. Again Galloway proved himself a fierce competitor, twice making Vic Viper acquiesce in "I Quit" matches in April. With their rivalry intensifying, Galloway's next challenge to O'Shaunessy was given the stipulation of a Last Man Standing match. Once again, the Irish native retained the title, as he would also do in June with the same stipulation.
Finally, on 28 August 2006 Galloway managed to beat the reigning Irishman and won the IwW International Heavyweight Championship in a singles match. He successfully defended the belt that evening against Go Shiozaki
. In November, Galloway took the championship to London
, England to defend it at Real Quality Wrestling
's Rebirth in November against Jody Fleisch
, though the match would be broadcast on the 20 December episode of RQW TV. However, Galloway was not able to commit to fully defending the title, due to other bookings in his homeland and his academic studies, he was thus forced to relenquish the championship in January 2007.
(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 pin.
In between studying, Gallow competed in several tours of All Star Wrestling
against competitors including TJ Wilson, PN Neuz, Chad Collyer
and Brody Steele during 2006. On 15 October 2006 Galloway competed in Insane Championship Wrestling's (ICW) debut show Fear & Loathing, defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a Three Way 30 Minute Iron Man match
to become the first ICW Champion. He lost the ICW Championship on 22 July to Darkside in a Five-Man Elimination match also involving Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.
Despite it being his only appearance 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 losing to Wolfgang in the main event. In October he was entered into a contendership match to win another chance at the title, but was beaten by Dave Moralez.
Galloway's reception continued to precede him, being placed in contention for RQW's
Not Just For Christmas tournament to crown the inaugural RQW Heavyweight Champion
. Representing IwW, having made his IwW Title defence against Fleisch earlier in the year, Galloway faced SAS Wrestling's El Ligero
going through to the semi-final only to lose to One Pro Wrestling
's Pac by count out. Galloway continued to appear in April, taking his rivalry with 'SOS' Sheamus 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
. This attack led to what would be Galloway's final match in the UK at August's Summer Brawl. Despite attacking Stone earlier in the evening, Galloway could not pick up the victory and failed to win the title. Galloway's very last appearance was serving as a referee for PBW on 15 September in a match that saw Darkside defeat Lionheart to become the championship contender.
(WWE) went on tour in Europe and before their filming of SmackDown in Manchester, Galloway had a try out match against O'Shaunessy. The following year in April the two received another try out matches in London. Later in 2007, on 12 October, Galloway made his televised WWE debut during SmackDown using the name Drew McIntyre. He appeared as a fan friendly character, imploring the crowd to cheer for him due to seeking dual citizenship
with America while accompanied by fellow Briton Dave Taylor. He defeated Brett Major
in his first week and the following episode defeated his tag team partner Brian Major
with the help of Taylor. McIntyre was moved to the Raw
brand
in the new year, but after a win against Charlie Haas
on 4 January he disappeared from television.
, Galloway made his debut in Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW) on 26 September with a win over fellow FWA Academy alumnus Paul Burchill
. He soon changed his name to Drew McIntyre and teamed with Burchill to take on The Major Brothers
(Brian and Brett) in a losing effort. In October, McIntyre found a new partner in Stu Sanders forming a tag team called The Brit Pack. Still they failed to defeat The Major Brothers, both in a tag team match and a Four Corners tag team match elimination match. The Brit Pack picked up their first victory on the 31 October TV tapings over Dirty Money and Scott Cardinal. The win propelled McIntyre to gain an OVW Television Championship
match against Colt Cabana. In 2008, Mcintyre gained momentum with a winning streak that built towards a non-title match against OVW Heavyweight Champion
Evan Bourne which McIntyre won by disqualification, after interference. His final match in OVW was on 29 February with a win over Scott Cardinal.
After moving to Florida Championship Wrestling
(FCW), Galloway reformed The Brit Pack with Stu Sanders, now going under the name of The Empire. In April they took on The Puerto Rican Nightmares
(Eric Pérez
and Eddie Colón) who won the match and a shot at the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
. Once The Nightmares won the titles, The Empire received two consecutive chances to win the belts and became Tag Team Champions 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 titles. The Empire would be less fortunate on 17 July when they lost the championship to Joe Hennig
and Gabe Tuft
. On 16 August, The Empire imploded when McIntyre faced Sanders in a singles match which ended in a double count-out and their rematch at the end of September ended in a time limit draw.
Going into 2009, McIntyre entered into a rivalry with Joe Hennig but their first match in February ended in a double count-out. 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 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 would regularly defend the title until 11 June when Tyler Reks (the former Gabe Tuft) won the belt in his second attempt. Later that month McIntyre failed to win a 14 Man Battle Royal for a chance to regain his gold. On 25 June McIntyre was set to team with O'Shaunessy against the returning Hennig and DJ Gabriel (the aforementioned Jack Gabriel) but when neither team would work together a Four Way was booked with O'Shaunessy being victorious. McIntyre and O'Shaunessy both failed to win back the Florida Heavyweight Championship in mid-July from Reks, with McIntyre receiving a singles opportunity the next day with the same result.
as he entered the ring, using his new double underhook DDT finishing move, the Scot Drop which would quickly change its name to the Future Shock. McIntyre would continue to attack Truth over the following weeks, claiming to be on the show to wrestle not to party like Truth. On 18 September, while Charlie Haas was waiting to face R-Truth McIntyre came to the ring explaining Truth had been injured backstage, and then attacked Haas. On 25 September, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, in character, introduced McIntyre as a "future World Champion" that he had personally signed after which Truth made a return attack against McIntyre. The following week McIntyre continued to crash parties by making a speech at the Decade of SmackDown celebration until Truth put him through a table and the anniversary cake. This all led to McIntyre's first proper match since his return at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV). At the event, McIntyre defeated Truth in under five minutes again using his DDT finisher.
McIntyre faced Truth once more in a singles match and won by countout to represent SmackDown at WWE Bragging Rights but the episode before the PPV the entire team, captains aside, was replaced leaving McIntyre omitted from the event. McIntyre briefly feuded with Finlay
in the same manner as Truth with matches not starting properly until McIntyre won their final meeting in under two minutes. At Survivor Series
, McIntyre had a place on The Miz's team for the traditional Survivor Series Elimination match. McIntyre, The Miz and his former rival Sheamus (previously Sheamus O'Shaunessy) were the surviving members on their winning team; McIntyre eliminated Evan Bourne and Matt Hardy
.
Being the only SmackDown superstar to survive against Team Morrison, McIntyre faced and defeated Morrison a few weeks later, putting him in line for Morrison's Intercontinental Championship
at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Days before the event, Morrison mocked McIntyre's Scottish heritage by dressing as a Braveheart
-inspired William Wallace
, but at TLC, McIntyre managed to pin Morrison after a thumb to the eye to win the Intercontinental Title, his first championship in WWE. He retained the title against Morrison and later against Kane
using underhanded tactics. His televised undefeated record came ended in a Money in the Bank
qualifying match against Kane on the 26 February episode of SmackDown, but Mr McMahon forced General Manager Teddy Long
to expunge the loss. The same thing happened again with Matt Hardy
before McIntyre finally qualified for the Ladder match by pinning an unsigned wrestler. His winning record was decisively ended by The Undertaker on 19 March and he also failed to win the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania XXVI
, his first WrestleMania appearance.
In weeks after this, McIntyre continuously attacked Matt Hardy until he was stripped of his title on May 7th by Long and suspended for the purposes of the storyline; McMahon decreed he be reinstated as champion the following week. As a result, McIntyre faced Kofi Kingston
, (who had won a tournament to determine the new Intercontinental Champion after McIntyre had been stripped of it) at Over the Limit, and lost the Championship. After losing to Matt Hardy on the 25 June edition of SmackDown, Theodore 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. He returned two weeks later and was re–instated after apologizing to Long and qualified for the eponymous match at the Money in the Bank pay–per–view by defeating Kofi Kingston. After he failed to win, he continued his rivalry with Hardy and his friend Christian. At the same time "Dashing" Cody Rhodes also took umbrage with Hardy and Christian leading to an alliance being formed. On 19 September at Night of Champions
, McIntyre and Rhodes captured the WWE Tag Team Championship
in a five-team Tag Team Turmoil match as the last entrants by defeating Evan Bourne and Mark Henry
. This allowed them to appear on both brands. At the Bragging Rights
pay-per-view on 24 October, McIntyre and Rhodes lost the championship to The Nexus
(John Cena
and David Otunga
). On the following episode of SmackDown, Rhodes and McIntyre argued following a loss, dissolving their team.
and appearing segments backstage on Raw occasionally.
, Ayrshire
, Galloway studied at Prestwick Academy
and completed a criminology
degree at Glasgow Caledonian University
. He is a supporter of football team Rangers F.C.
and considered being a professional football player when he was younger. In July 2009, Galloway proposed to Taryn Terrell
, who is former on-screen WWE Diva Tiffany and reports of their intention to wed surfaced in January 2010 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The couple married in Las Vegas
in May 2010. On 24 May 2011, Terrell announced that she and Galloway were divorcing.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
signed with WWE, where he wrestles on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
as Drew McIntyre.
He began training from the age of 15 in England, before moving back to Scotland to begin his career. Before long he became a regular in British Championship Wrestling (BCW) using the gimmick "Thee" Drew Galloway, winning their Heavyweight Championship twice along with the Heavyweight Championship of Insane Championship Wrestling. He also found success abroad in Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
, winning their top title. During this time he completed an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
.
After touring the independent circuit around the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Galloway moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2007 to sign with WWE. Along with a brief stint on the SmackDown brand, he spent time in developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
and Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
, winning the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championships
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
later, before returning to SmackDown and quickly winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
. In 2010, he held the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
with Cody Rhodes.
Professional wrestling career
Galloway began training for professional wrestling at the age of 15 at the Frontier Wrestling AllianceFrontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance is a British professional wrestling promotion. 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 inter-promotional feud with International Pro Wrestling: United...
's Academy when his family moved to the south of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. In the FWA Academy he was trained by the promotion's operator Mark Sloan along with Justin Richards and James Tighe
James Tighe
James Tighe is a British professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with Frontier Wrestling Alliance. He currently competes around the United Kingdom.-Professional wrestling career:...
. Galloway also cites the promotion's established stars helping out with training, including Doug Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
, Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
and Alex Shane
Alex Shane
Alexander Daniel Spilling is a British professional wrestler who is best known by his ring name "The Ascension" Alex Shane. Spilling also works as a promoter and wrestling teacher.-Early career:...
.
British Championship Wrestling (2003–2007)
In 2003, Galloway made his debut for the inaugural show of British Championship Wrestling (BCW), operating in the Greater GlasgowGreater 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...
area. While there he honed his wrestling skill further, training under Colin McKay and later Spinner McKenzie and developing the character of "Thee" Drew Galloway, a cocky narcissist. His first match, 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 being managed
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
by Charles Boddington who aided him in his first significant success and would go on to manage him for the next four years. On 5 December, Boddington announced that BCW Heavyweight Champion Spinner McKenzie had been fired and thus would be stripped of the title; Boddington then instantly gave the belt to Galloway. Stevie Knight took exception to this and challenged him to a match that very night at Bad Tidings: Night 1, winning the championship. Galloway earned a non-title win over Knight the following February in 2004, at Night of The Fan but Knight exacted revenge by knocking Galloway out of the King of BCW tournament.
Later that year, Galloway had a series of matches against American veterans. In June, he was defeated by The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
and later that month lost in a tag team match to Marty Jannetty
Marty Jannetty
Frederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one time Intercontinental Champion and a one time...
and Highlander, with Sabotage on his side. In November, at the aptly titled Lo Down, Galloway main evented in a double count-out match against D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
. He then had a brief series of feuds; in March 2005 he defeated Jay Phoenix but their rematch in November, officiated by Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, ended in a no contest. In May 2006 after their lengthy feud in Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
, Galloway lost then won in successive matches against long term rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy.
In November 2006, in the main event of Live in East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, Galloway teamed with Lionheart and pinned BCW Heavyweight Champion Highlander who was tagging with Wolfgang. This earned put him in contention for the title at December's No Blood, No Sympathy IV. The match was booked as an "I Quit" match with Conscience as the special guest referee with Galloway gaining his second BCW Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to hold the title through most of 2007, vacating it after he relocated to the United States in September.
Irish Whip Wrestling (2005–2006)
After gaining momentum in Scotland, Galloway began wrestling dates across the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
with Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling
Irish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
(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. The following day at Gym Wars 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 Galloway recruited various wrestlers, even his manager Boddington, in a series of tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
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 finally 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.
With his rivalry against Manson settled in their Street Fight and despite having only won one match with the company, Galloway was given a shot at the IwW International Heavyweight Championship owing to his show stealing performances with Manson. On 28 January 2006 he received his first title match against Sheamus O'Shaunessy, evolving their rivalry from previous battles. The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing O'Shaunessy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
football derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
between Glasgow Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Glasgow Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, respectively. This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club once again for the title, though the match changed into a Lumberjack match, the result and champion remained the same. Galloway remained focussed, proving his dominance and determination for the championship by defeating JC Williams and Brian Roche in a handicap match on 17 March. This match earned him a two out of three falls match against the champion the following day in which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one; the next day produced the same result. Again Galloway proved himself a fierce competitor, twice making Vic Viper acquiesce in "I Quit" matches in April. With their rivalry intensifying, Galloway's next challenge to O'Shaunessy was given the stipulation of a Last Man Standing match. Once again, the Irish native retained the title, as he would also do in June with the same stipulation.
Finally, on 28 August 2006 Galloway managed to beat the reigning Irishman and won the IwW International Heavyweight Championship in a singles match. He successfully defended the belt that evening against Go Shiozaki
Go Shiozaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. In addition to Noah, he has previously worked in the American-based promotion Ring of Honor and its former sister promotion Full Impact Pro, where he won the latter's...
. In November, Galloway took the championship to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England to defend it at Real Quality Wrestling
Real Quality Wrestling
Real Quality Wrestling is a British professional wrestling organisation. Len Davies is the Owner and chairman of the company and their sister company, Spectrum Multimedia. The company began as an independent promotion, but soon became an umbrella promotion in 2007 with the self-stated aim to...
's Rebirth in November against Jody Fleisch
Jody Fleisch
Jerome Fleisch 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...
, though the match would be broadcast on the 20 December episode of RQW TV. However, Galloway was not able to commit to fully defending the title, due to other bookings in his homeland and his academic studies, he was thus forced to relenquish the championship in January 2007.
Touring Great Britain (2005–2007)
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 KingdomInternational Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom
International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom is a British professional wrestling promotion. Daniel Edler is the majority owner, chairman and founder of the company. The company was established in 2004 and since their foundation they have held monthly shows in Orpington, Kent...
(IPW:UK) at their aptly titled Show 2. Despite losing to Aviv Maayan
Aviv Maayan
Aviv Maayan is an Israeli-Welsh professional wrestler. Originally from Wales, Maayan is best known for competing in the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real Quality Wrestling, Varsity Pro Wrestling and other independent promotions in the United Kingdom....
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
Andrew Simmons
Andrew Simmons , better known by his ring name Andy Boy Simmonz, is a British professional wrestler. He is currently working in the independent circuit in the United Kingdom for several promotions. Simmons' most high profile work in the UK came in the Frontier Wrestling Alliance under the face...
with a small package pin.
In between studying, Gallow competed in several tours of All Star Wrestling
All Star Wrestling
All Star Wrestling is a British Professional wrestling promotion also known as All Star Promotions, Superslam Wrestling and Big Time Wrestling and originally known as Wrestling Enterprises , run by Brian Dixon and based in Liverpool, England...
against competitors including TJ Wilson, PN Neuz, Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer
Chad Collyer is an American professional wrestler. A Heartland Wrestling Association mainstay, Collyer is perhaps best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Career:...
and Brody Steele during 2006. On 15 October 2006 Galloway competed in Insane Championship Wrestling's (ICW) debut show Fear & Loathing, defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a Three Way 30 Minute Iron Man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
to become the first ICW Champion. He lost the ICW Championship on 22 July to Darkside in a Five-Man Elimination match also involving Jack Jester, Wolfgang and Liam Thomson.
Despite it being his only appearance for NWA: Scottish Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(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 losing to Wolfgang in the main event. In October he was entered into a contendership match to win another chance at the title, but was beaten by Dave Moralez.
Galloway's reception continued to precede him, being placed in contention for RQW's
Real Quality Wrestling
Real Quality Wrestling is a British professional wrestling organisation. Len Davies is the Owner and chairman of the company and their sister company, Spectrum Multimedia. The company began as an independent promotion, but soon became an umbrella promotion in 2007 with the self-stated aim to...
Not Just For Christmas tournament to crown the inaugural RQW Heavyweight Champion
RQW Heavyweight Championship
The Real Quality Wrestling Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Real Quality Wrestling. It is currently the highest ranked championship in the company. Title reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers, involved in pre-existing...
. Representing IwW, having made his IwW Title defence against Fleisch earlier in the year, Galloway faced SAS Wrestling's El Ligero
El Ligero
Simon Musk is a British professional wrestler better known by his ring name El Ligero. He has been regarded as one of the top wrestlers currently wrestling in Europe.-Professional wrestling career:...
going through to the semi-final only to lose to One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley until the promotion went into liquidation in 2007; it was restarted within the same year..It ended in August 2011....
's Pac by count out. Galloway continued to appear in April, taking his rivalry with 'SOS' Sheamus 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
Martin Stone (wrestler)
Martin Harris, better known by his ring name Martin Stone is a British professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling under Frontier Wrestling Alliance , International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom , Real Quality Wrestling and various other promotions throughout the United Kingdom,...
during his title defence against Takeshi Rikio
Takeshi Rikio
Takeshi Inoue, known by his stage name , born December 20, 1972, is a Japanese professional wrestler, who works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler.- Sumo career :...
. This attack led to what would be Galloway's final match in the UK at August's Summer Brawl. Despite attacking Stone earlier in the evening, Galloway could not pick up the victory and failed to win the title. Galloway's very last appearance was serving as a referee for PBW on 15 September in a match that saw Darkside defeat Lionheart to become the championship contender.
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
In late 2006, World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) went on tour in Europe and before their filming of SmackDown in Manchester, Galloway had a try out match against O'Shaunessy. The following year in April the two received another try out matches in London. Later in 2007, on 12 October, Galloway made his televised WWE debut during SmackDown using the name Drew McIntyre. He appeared as a fan friendly character, imploring the crowd to cheer for him due to seeking dual citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
with America while accompanied by fellow Briton Dave Taylor. He defeated Brett Major
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
in his first week and the following episode defeated his tag team partner Brian Major
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
with the help of Taylor. McIntyre was moved to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in the new year, but after a win against Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
on 4 January he disappeared from television.
The Empire (2007–2008)
After moving to KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Galloway made his debut in Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW) on 26 September with a win over fellow FWA Academy alumnus Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
. He soon changed his name to Drew McIntyre and teamed with Burchill to take on The Major Brothers
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
(Brian and Brett) in a losing effort. In October, McIntyre found a new partner in Stu Sanders forming a tag team called The Brit Pack. Still they failed to defeat The Major Brothers, both in a tag team match and a Four Corners tag team match elimination match. The Brit Pack picked up their first victory on the 31 October TV tapings over Dirty Money and Scott Cardinal. The win propelled McIntyre to gain an OVW Television Championship
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
match against Colt Cabana. In 2008, Mcintyre gained momentum with a winning streak that built towards a non-title match against OVW Heavyweight Champion
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
Evan Bourne which McIntyre won by disqualification, after interference. His final match in OVW was on 29 February with a win over Scott Cardinal.
After moving to Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
(FCW), Galloway reformed The Brit Pack with Stu Sanders, now going under the name of The Empire. In April they took on The Puerto Rican Nightmares
The Puerto Rican Nightmares
The Puerto Rican Nightmares were a professional tag team. The team consisted of Eddie Colón and Eric Pérez. -Florida Championship Wrestling :...
(Eric Pérez
Eric Perez
Eric Alexander Pérez is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name Eric Escobar. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he spent most of his career in developmental territories...
and Eddie Colón) who won the match and a shot at the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
. Once The Nightmares won the titles, The Empire received two consecutive chances to win the belts and became Tag Team Champions on 6 May. Their first title defence was against McIntyre's old rival Sheamus O'Shaunessy but his partner 'Sterling' Jack Gabriel'
Steven Lewington
Steven Paul Lewington is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he competed as DJ Gabriel.- All Star Promotions and Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
accidentally hit them and The Empire capitalised to retain their titles. The Empire would be less fortunate on 17 July when they lost the championship to Joe Hennig
Joe Hennig
Joseph "Joe" Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and working on the Raw brand, under the ring name Michael McGillicutty. He previously wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
and Gabe Tuft
Gabe Tuft
Gabriel Allan Tuft is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on its Raw brand under the ring name Tyler Reks...
. On 16 August, The Empire imploded when McIntyre faced Sanders in a singles match which ended in a double count-out and their rematch at the end of September ended in a time limit draw.
Florida Heavyweight Champion (2008–2009)
On 7 October, McIntyre was entered into a contest for the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship and defeated Tuft to make it into the final but lost to Eric Escobar (the former Eric Peréz). McIntyre closed out the year with an unsuccessful attempt to gain the 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 count-out. 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 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 would regularly defend the title until 11 June when Tyler Reks (the former Gabe Tuft) won the belt in his second attempt. Later that month McIntyre failed to win a 14 Man Battle Royal for a chance to regain his gold. On 25 June McIntyre was set to team with O'Shaunessy against the returning Hennig and DJ Gabriel (the aforementioned Jack Gabriel) but when neither team would work together a Four Way was booked with O'Shaunessy being victorious. McIntyre and O'Shaunessy both failed to win back the Florida Heavyweight Championship in mid-July from Reks, with McIntyre receiving a singles opportunity the next day with the same result.
The Chosen One (2009–2011)
On 28 August 2009, McIntyre returned to the SmackDown brand, disregarding his previous time on WWE television, and established himself as a villain by attacking R-TruthRon Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
as he entered the ring, using his new double underhook DDT finishing move, the Scot Drop which would quickly change its name to the Future Shock. McIntyre would continue to attack Truth over the following weeks, claiming to be on the show to wrestle not to party like Truth. On 18 September, while Charlie Haas was waiting to face R-Truth McIntyre came to the ring explaining Truth had been injured backstage, and then attacked Haas. On 25 September, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, in character, introduced McIntyre as a "future World Champion" that he had personally signed after which Truth made a return attack against McIntyre. The following week McIntyre continued to crash parties by making a speech at the Decade of SmackDown celebration until Truth put him through a table and the anniversary cake. This all led to McIntyre's first proper match since his return at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV). At the event, McIntyre defeated Truth in under five minutes again using his DDT finisher.
McIntyre faced Truth once more in a singles match and won by countout to represent SmackDown at WWE Bragging Rights but the episode before the PPV the entire team, captains aside, was replaced leaving McIntyre omitted from the event. McIntyre briefly feuded with Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
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 (2009)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on November 22, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.. It was the 23rd annual Survivor Series event. It featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
, McIntyre had a place on The Miz's team for the traditional Survivor Series Elimination match. McIntyre, The Miz and his former rival Sheamus (previously Sheamus O'Shaunessy) were the surviving members on their winning team; McIntyre eliminated Evan Bourne and Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
.
Being the only SmackDown superstar to survive against Team Morrison, McIntyre faced and defeated Morrison a few weeks later, putting him in line for Morrison's Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Days before the event, Morrison mocked McIntyre's Scottish heritage by dressing as a Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
-inspired William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
, but at TLC, McIntyre managed to pin Morrison after a thumb to the eye to win the Intercontinental Title, his first championship in WWE. He retained the title against Morrison and later against Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
using underhanded tactics. His televised undefeated record came ended in a Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
qualifying match against Kane on the 26 February episode of SmackDown, but Mr McMahon forced General Manager Teddy Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
to expunge the loss. The same thing happened again with Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
before McIntyre finally qualified for the Ladder match by pinning an unsigned wrestler. His winning record was decisively ended by The Undertaker on 19 March and he also failed to win the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on March 28, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the fourth WrestleMania to...
, his first WrestleMania appearance.
In weeks after this, McIntyre continuously attacked Matt Hardy until he was stripped of his title on May 7th by Long and suspended for the purposes of the storyline; McMahon decreed he be reinstated as champion the following week. As a result, McIntyre faced Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, (who had won a tournament to determine the new Intercontinental Champion after McIntyre had been stripped of it) at Over the Limit, and lost the Championship. After losing to Matt Hardy on the 25 June edition of SmackDown, Theodore 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. He returned two weeks later and was re–instated after apologizing to Long and qualified for the eponymous match at the Money in the Bank pay–per–view by defeating Kofi Kingston. After he failed to win, he continued his rivalry with Hardy and his friend Christian. At the same time "Dashing" Cody Rhodes also took umbrage with Hardy and Christian leading to an alliance being formed. On 19 September at Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2010)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on September 19, 2010 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the third annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the tenth...
, McIntyre and Rhodes captured the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
in a five-team Tag Team Turmoil match as the last entrants by defeating Evan Bourne and Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
. This allowed them to appear on both brands. At the Bragging Rights
Bragging Rights (2010)
Bragging Rights was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on October 24, 2010 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the second and final Bragging Rights event. Seven matches took place at the event...
pay-per-view on 24 October, McIntyre and Rhodes lost the championship to The Nexus
Nexus (professional wrestling)
The Nexus was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, that competed on its Raw brand. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence...
(John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and David Otunga
David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season...
). On the following episode of SmackDown, Rhodes and McIntyre argued following a loss, dissolving their team.
Raw (2011–Present)
On 26 April, Drew McIntyre was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 Supplemental Draft. He has since been competing in matches on WWE SuperstarsWWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
and appearing segments backstage on Raw occasionally.
Personal life
Having grown up in PrestwickPrestwick
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Galloway studied at Prestwick Academy
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 :...
and completed a criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
degree at Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
. He is a supporter of football team Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and considered being a professional football player when he was younger. In July 2009, Galloway proposed to Taryn Terrell
Taryn Terrell
Taryn Nicole Terrell , better known by her ring name Tiffany is an American model, professional wrestler and former general manager. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment . She also trained at WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling...
, who is former on-screen WWE Diva Tiffany and reports of their intention to wed surfaced in January 2010 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The couple married in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in May 2010. On 24 May 2011, Terrell announced that she and Galloway were divorcing.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Drew Galloway
- Thee Move (Cradle kneeling belly-to-belly piledriver)
- As Drew McIntyre
- Future Shock (Snap double underhook DDT), Sometimes in a sitout position, 2009–present
- As Drew Galloway
- Signature moves
- InvertedFacebusterA facebuster, also known as a faceplant, is generally a takedown move in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler forces his/her opponent down to the mat face-first without involving a headlock or facelock...
Alabama slam - Belly-to-belly suplex
- Big boot
- Scot Drop(Reverse STO)
- Double knee armbreaker
- European uppercut
- Falling powerbomb
- Fireman's carry double knee gutbuster
- Hangman's neckbreaker onto knee
- Snap suplex
- Spinebuster
- Wheelbarrow facebuster
- Inverted
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "Thee"
- "The Chosen One"
- "The Sinister Scotsman"
- "The Great American Nightmare"
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Charles Boddington
- Dave Taylor
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Broken Dreams" by Shaman's HarvestShaman's HarvestShaman's Harvest is a rock band from Jefferson City, Missouri, best known for their single "Dragonfly" from the album "Shine". The single peaked at #34 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart....
- "Smoke & Mirrors" by TV/TV (23 July – 18 October 2010; with Cody Rhodes)
- "Broken Dreams" by Shaman's Harvest
Championships and accomplishments
- British Championship Wrestling
- BCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship WrestlingChampionship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
- FCW Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipFCW Florida Heavyweight ChampionshipThe FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their heavyweight division...
(1 time) - FCW Florida Tag Team ChampionshipFCW Florida Tag Team ChampionshipThe Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
(1 time) – with Stu SandersWade BarrettWade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
- FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship
- Insane Championship Wrestling
- ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Irish Whip WrestlingIrish Whip WrestlingIrish Whip Wrestling is an Irish owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in 2002. The company was named in tribute to Irish professional wrestler Danno O'Mahony, who is credited as the inventor of the "Irish Whip" wrestling maneuver. IWW runs shows throughout the whole of...
- IWW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #30 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(1 time) - WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) – with Cody Rhodes
- WWE Intercontinental Championship