Bobby Lashley Beats Drew McIntyre, Retains WWE Title at WrestleMania 37

Bobby Lashley defeated Drew McIntyre on Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 on Saturday to retain the WWE Championship.

After a grueling encounter, the Scot was set to hit the titleholder with the Claymore Kick, but Hurt Business leader MVP distracted him and allowed The All Mighty to recover.

McIntyre then passed out while in the Hurt Lock, leaving the referee with no choice but to ring the bell.

One year ago, the Scot became WWE champion for the first time when he beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 inside the Performance Center with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It wasn’t how McIntyre envisioned his crowning achievement, but he got an opportunity to potentially run it back this year with Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, filled to partial capacity.

The Scottish Warrior was faced with a massive challenge, though, in the form of Lashley, who became a first-time WWE champion on the March 1 episode of Raw when he beat The Miz in a Lumberjack match.

Miz’s title win came courtesy of Lashley at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February. After McIntyre outlasted five other Superstars to retain the title in an Elimination Chamber match, The All Mighty attacked him.

That allowed The Miz to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the WWE Championship for the second time in his career, although it was a short-lived reign.

Since The A-Lister promised MVP that he would give Lashley the first crack at the title if he were to help him, Miz was forced to put the belt on the line just eight days after winning it.

Considering the manner in which McIntyre was screwed out of the championship, he was granted a rematch for WrestleMania, but not before he made it through his former best friend, Sheamus, in a hard-hitting No Holds Barred match at Fastlane on March 21.

With Sheamus in the rearview mirror, McIntyre shifted his focus toward Lashley and The Hurt Business as a whole. He also made his potential path to the WWE title a bit easier by beating Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in a handicap match, ensuring they could not be ringside at WrestleMania, but it was MVP who made the vital interference from outside the squared circle.

Lashley managed to retain the WWE Championship as a result, although McIntyre will undoubtedly continue his dogged pursuit of the title.

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