There’s been a lot going on this week. Much of our attention has been taken by the developing situation in Saudi Arabia, which has led to some backlash towards WWE due to their relationship with the Saudi regime. Every part-time star & legend that we can think of has come back in recent weeks. Oh, and there’s everything else going on in the world. It’s a lot to take in.

Sometimes, things fly under the radar. We don’t take proper notice of events that end up shaping the future of the wrestling business. Steve Austin adopting the nickname “Stone Cold” didn’t garner much attention when it happened. Most of The Rock’s catchphrases didn’t immediately catch fire the first time he used them. Heck, it took a few months after Mankind got tossed off of Hell in a Cell for people to realize how big a deal it was.

Raw on Monday was one of those shows that we barely noticed while it was happening. Much of our attention was focused on Saudi Arabia, along with the SmackDown 1000 show the next night. Raw’s main event pitted The Shield, who have been fighting off rumors of dissention for weeks now, against Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre. While Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins had their moment of unease, it was Braun Strowman’s alliance that broke apart at the end of the night.

Braun’s logic in associating with Dolph & Drew was always flawed. He thought he was getting two guys to watch his back, to stay in the shadows and handle Roman Reigns’ friends while he set about his goal of obtaining the Universal Championship. He wanted a couple of flunkies. If Braun had paid any attention to the careers of the men he was trying to put in these roles, he would have seen all of this coming.

Dolph Ziggler’s best quality as a professional wrestler is his ability to serve as cannon fodder. He has the ability to make almost anybody across the ring from him look like a million bucks. When you enlist him as part of your group, you do so with the understanding that he’s going to be taking a lot of pinfalls. It isn’t ideal, but hey, it keeps you from taking the fall. Getting mad at him over it is counterproductive. It also has the side effect of getting his tag team partner really mad at you. That’s the last thing you need right now.

Look who's here to kick things off LIVE TONIGHT on @USA_Network…#Raw @BraunStrowman @HEELZiggler @DMcIntyreWWE pic.twitter.com/oXl4ryO2DF

— WWE (@WWE) October 16, 2018

Which one of these guys is supposed to be the star?

In case you haven’t noticed, the Drew McIntyre that’s emerged onto the Raw scene in 2018 isn’t the same Drew McIntyre we remember from back in the day. It was almost a decade ago when he debuted on SmackDown as the Chosen One. He was a pretty young Scottish fella with Vince McMahon’s stamp of approval as a future world champion. Getting Vince’s endorsement is a big deal, but as some of our top Superstars have learned over the years, it makes it tougher for the fans to buy into you.

Drew showed a ton of potential early on, but something was missing. A reign as Intercontinental Champion & with Cody Rhodes as SmackDown’s Tag Team Champions didn’t quite click. There was also the business with Drew’s marriage to Taryn Terrell blowing up & the fallout souring WWE higher-ups on him. He didn’t do too much of note after that, except form 3MB with Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal. Don’t get me wrong, 3MB definitely had its entertaining moments, and the group has already seen one of its members become WWE Champion. It was, however, a huge step down from being the Chosen One and a future world champion.

Drew got released in June 2014. Some guys get released from WWE and are never heard from again. Others take their new status as an opportunity to reinvent themselves & step their game up to another level. That’s exactly what Drew did. He dominated EVOLVE Wrestling from his first night in the company, winning their championship in his first match there. If that wasn’t enough, he was one-half of their first Tag Team Championship team. He went to TNA/Impact Wrestling and won their top two championships. He tore a path through the United Kingdom wrestling scene, winning titles wherever he went.

While doing all of this, Drew developed his persona and became a more effective talker. He got bigger & more effective in the ring. Basically, he improved everything about himself as a wrestler & sports entertainer. By the time he returned to WWE, via the NXT brand, Drew McIntyre was ready to be the top star we thought he could be. The only thing keeping him from dominating NXT for longer than three months was a torn bicep. Once Drew recovered from that, it was time to hit the main roster.

His run on Raw since the Superstar Shakeup hasn’t seen a lot of bumps in the road. His teaming with Dolph Ziggler has made the Showoff relevant for the first time in a long time. McIntyre has yet to take a pinfall loss while on the Raw roster. There have been some disqualifications for kicking too much ass & things like that, but Drew has been portrayed as an unstoppable force since his return. To the point where he can lay out Braun Freaking Strowman with a Claymore kick and it doesn’t surprise anybody. Well, except Braun, who actually thought that McIntyre would serve as one of his toadies. Silly Braun. If the Monster Among Men wants to keep this alliance going, it’ll be on the Scottish Psychopath’s terms.

We all know that the Saudi Arabian quagmire is going to disappear in the rear view mirror at some point. WWE (and professional wrestling in general) has withstood every crisis that people thought would bring its demise. Publicly revealing that wrestling was predetermined didn’t kill the business. The sex & steroid scandals of the early 90s didn’t end it all. Chris Benoit killing himself & his family didn’t derail the industry. These issues were big bumps in the road, but pro wrestling survived.

When Saudi Arabia is far off in the distance, Drew McIntyre will be standing in front of your windshield. Probably with somebody’s head hanging from his hands, and maybe the Universal Championship over his shoulder. While you were distracted, he was making his mark. Bring in all the part timers & legends you want. The future is here, and ready to kick your head off.