After being personally signed by Mr. McMahon, Drew McIntyre had a lot to live up to. But where other superstars may have cracked under the pressure, McIntyre flourished, beating John Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE TLC for his first major title win. Shockingly, on the May 7, 2010 edition of SmackDown—after refusing to cease his brutal attack on Matt Hardy—McIntyre was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship and fired by general manager Theodore Long. However, one week later, Mr. McMahon overruled Long, and ordered McIntyre reinstated to the active roster and declared that the he was still the reigning champion.