Highlights

  • Drew McIntyre was originally planned to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI, but the match was scrapped because he wasn't ready.
  • McIntyre's release from WWE in 2014 and subsequent return in 2017 paved the way for his rise to becoming a top star and two-time WWE Champion.
  • The scrapped McIntyre vs. The Undertaker match led to the iconic retirement match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI.

The Undertaker v Shawn Michaels was one of WWE's best-ever matches, taking place at WrestleMania XXVI, but it wasn't originally supposed to happen.

Drew McIntyre has claimed previously that he was originally set to face 'Taker at 2010's WrestleMania show, but the match was nixed because the future WWE Champion wasn't ready.

McIntyre was strongly fancied by Vince McMahon during his first stint in WWE, which lasted from 2009 to 2014, with plans in place for the Scotsman to face one of WWE's biggest stars at the biggest show of the year.

Why didn't Drew McIntyre v The Undertaker happen?

McIntyre is now one of WWE's top stars, but it took a release from the company in 2014, and a return three years later in 2017, for him to get to that point.

He was, of course, released six years ago before returning to NXT in 2017 and rising to the top of the company, winning the 2020 Royal Rumble, main eventing WrestleMania, and becoming a two-time WWE Champion.

Drew's win over Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 in 2020 was the biggest win of his career, despite taking place in front of zero people. However, it emerged shortly afterwards that he nearly had an even bigger match ten years prior.

Drew McIntyre
Image Credits: Cageside Seats

As noted, WrestleMania XXVI in 2010 saw Shawn Michaels face off against The Undertaker, but Drew told BT Sport (now TNT Sports) in 2020 that original plans for the show had him sharing the ring with 'The Deadman'.

However, he explains that Vince McMahon shelved his plans after coming to terms with the fact that McIntyre simply wasn't ready for such a big match on such a big stage, instead opting to have 'Taker sharing the ring with 'The Heartbreak Kid'.

The inevitable goal was to have a big match between him and I. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready at the time. Things worked out the way it worked out. I believe it led to, instead of myself and Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker, the retirement match, which was obviously a phenomenal match.

Name

Drew McIntyre

The Undertaker

Date of Birth

June 6, 1985 (age 38)

March 24, 1965 (age 58)

Height

6ft 5"

6ft 10"

Weight

265lbs

309lbs

Debut

2001

June 26, 1987

Retired

N/A

November 22, 2020

Trained By

Spinner McKenzie, Justin Richards, Mark Sloan & James Tighe

Buzz Sawyer

Titles Won

2x WWE Championship, 1x NXT Championship, 1x Intercontinental Championship, 2x Raw Tag Team Championship & 2020 Royal Rumble match winner

4x WWE Championship, 3x World Heavyweight Championship, 1x Hardcore Championship, 7x Tag Team Championship & 2007 Royal Rumble match winner

To be fair to Drew, with the benefit of hindsight, he now agrees with what McMahon felt at the time, stating that he simply "couldn't have delivered" at the level required to wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI.

But imagine how different things would have been if the match had gone ahead. Would Michaels have found another opponent for the show? Would he have still hung up his boots after WrestleMania XXVI. The situation surrounding McIntyre v 'Taker getting scrapped has left fans with many questions.

The situation doesn't concern just Michaels, however. If Vince really did rate Drew as highly as people say, would The Undertaker's streak have ended that year, with McIntyre being the man chosen to beat it? Who knows?

Shawn Michaels
Image Credits: BleacherReport

Of course, what we do know is that Michaels and The Deadman went on to have one of the most iconic matches in WWE history, coming one year after their incredible encounter at WrestleMania XXV, which is regarded by many fans as one of the best matches ever.

In fact, The Undertaker has since admitted that he's envious of how HBK was able to finish his WWE career, that is if we forget Michaels' return in Saudi Arabia in 2018, stating the following on his Last Ride documentary...

I’m so envious of Shawn because he was able to walk away and he was good with it. Do I wish I had that kind of clarity? Absolutely, I wish I had that clarity. He had the clarity before going into the match.

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Since making those comments, The Undertaker has officially retired from in-ring competition, having his final match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, the same show that saw McIntyre become WWE Champion for the first time in his career.

It remains to be seen whether or not 'Taker will break his retirement and step back into the ring, but his 2022 WWE Hall of Fame speech seemed to indicate that he was at least open to the possibility of having another match, so watch out for that one.