5 Directions For New WWE Champion Drew McIntyre Following WrestleMania 36

When the dust settled following the (understandably) strangest WrestleMania to have ever taken place, there was Drew McIntyre standing tall, holding the most coveted prize in all of professional wrestling. It took less than five minutes of big move spamming between himself and reigning champion Brock Lesnar, but McIntyre's big moves ultimately won out, cementing him as the face of WWE Raw going forward.

And going forward, there are many questions, not the least of which being how WWE is going to put out new content in the coming weeks, with all the shelter-in-place orders and lingering health concerns. That said, when there is once more something resembling normalcy in terms of WWE's programming schedule, what lays ahead for the new titleholder?

Drew McIntyre is a great choice for World champion, but like any champion, he's only as good as his opposition, and the underlying storytelling. So who could be programmed against McIntyre in the months ahead? Scouring the Raw roster, there are some intriguing and sensible names that could occupy the opposite corner during the remainder of 2020, perhaps beyond.

When the dust settled following the (understandably) strangest WrestleMania to have ever taken place, there was Drew McIntyre standing tall, holding the most coveted prize in all of professional wrestling. It took less than five minutes of big move spamming between himself and reigning champion Brock Lesnar, but McIntyre's big moves ultimately won out, cementing him as the face of WWE Raw going forward.

And going forward, there are many questions, not the least of which being how WWE is going to put out new content in the coming weeks, with all the shelter-in-place orders and lingering health concerns. That said, when there is once more something resembling normalcy in terms of WWE's programming schedule, what lays ahead for the new titleholder?

Drew McIntyre is a great choice for World champion, but like any champion, he's only as good as his opposition, and the underlying storytelling. So who could be programmed against McIntyre in the months ahead? Scouring the Raw roster, there are some intriguing and sensible names that could occupy the opposite corner during the remainder of 2020, perhaps beyond.

5. The Lesnar Rematch

May as well prepare yourself for it now. Lesnar wasn't done with Seth Rollins following WrestleMania last year, though it did take an ill-gotten briefcase for him to remain in Rollins' orbit. While WWE isn't likely to have Lesnar win Money in the Bank two years in a row (you'd think), he's just as likely to prowl somewhere in the fringes, biding his time.

McIntyre vs. Lesnar at SummerSlam has intrigue, especially if there's an actual crowd on hand. While Lesnar is notorious for his abbreviated bouts, one would think he's more likely to give an extensive performance when there's 15,000+ fans on hand, as opposed to busting his ass in an empty gym.

4. Seth Rollins

When poring over WrestleMania weekend's results, something glaring stood out: if you don't count Charlotte Flair beating Rhea Ripley, no heel on the Raw brand won their match. There were a lot of feelgood victories draped in red, so that puts a damper on heels with momentum making a play for the new champ. Rehabbing the top villains, though, shouldn't be too hard.

Case in point, Rollins, who spruces up easily enough. His merry band of disciples may be depleted due to injuries and illness, but he can always acquire new henchmen (Viking Raiders turning heel?). Rollins using the numbers game to go at McIntyre is a sensible, if paint-by-numbers, angle.

3. The Money In The Bank Winner

No guarantee that we get the ladder-based supercard on May 10 as planned, but somehow, some way, we're gonna have somebody toting around the magic briefcase throughout the summer months. Here you have something very open-ended, as the caseholder doesn't have to be some established heel - it could be someone on friendlier terms with McIntyre, one perhaps prone to the temptation of cashing in when McIntyre is vulnerable.

Perhaps the Money in the Bank intrigue would work better on SmackDown, where the holder would need all the advantages he can get when trying to fell a giant like Braun Strowman. But if the briefcase winds up on Raw, you can build anybody as a promising hunter of McIntyre's gold. And the directions it could go are a bit more myriad.

2. Bobby Lashley

You might groan at this, and it's hard to blame you - WWE has stumbled at the line with Lashley, be it the Lana/Rusev soap opera, or the insipid "sisters" angle. The best version of Lashley we've seen over the past two years came when he was paired with Lio Rush as his hypeman. There, they had something akin to the Heyman/Lesnar dynamic - the overbearing hustle hyping the overpowering muscle.

Lashley would need a bit more character rehab than someone like, say, Rollins, but a Lashley/McIntyre battle has potential to be outstanding. They had a very good match against each other at Slammiversary 2016; they can do it again.

1. Edge

As far as potential face vs. face matches go, especially among two guys who are fairly evenly matched from a physical standpoint, Edge vs. McIntyre looks like a strong play. There's also the easy, "Edge wants one more World title shot/reign" angle to put in motion, and that's something people can get behind.

The two have a little bit of history, albeit minor history at that - some of Edge's final matches before retirement came against a middling McIntyre, running through him in short matches on SmackDown in 2011. McIntyre can easily play the, "I'm not that pushover anymore" card, and suddenly, you have two heroes with something to prove: the ageing vet that he still "has it", and the young champion that he's no fluke. Just keep it under 36 minutes, please.