In an exclusive interview with FanSided, WWE superstar Drew McIntyre spoke about returning to the company with a new perspective.
WrestleMania 38 is just around the corner, and fans are going to be paying attention to see how the match card shapes up. Drew McIntyre is one of WWE’s biggest stars, as he was at the top of the company during 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. This was also his second chance with WWE, as he was released by the company in 2014.
I spoke to McIntyre, who joined FanSided on behalf of Special Olympics during Super Bowl week, and asked him what his new perspective was when returning to WWE for his second tenure.
“I wasn’t giving it my all and inevitably I got fired and I had to look myself in the mirror and understand ‘this is on you buddy,'” said McIntyre. “This was the dream you forgot that you weren’t giving 100-percent every single day. You expected it just to be handed right to you. And from that day that I got fired in 2014, I promised myself I’d work my butt off, leave no stone unturned and to be accountable to one person and that’s the person in the mirror, the only person you can’t lie to. And that’s been my motto ever since, every day.
“I give it my all And if it doesn’t work out, at least I can look back in that mirror and say you gave it your all, and thankfully it is working out. And I encourage everybody around the world, just trust me. If you give it 100 percent every single day in every area of your life, try and keep a positive attitude, which has not been easy the past few years clearly. But try and find the positives and the negative things have a way of working out.”
Drew McIntyre on his new perspective in return to WWE
Back in 2009, McIntyre made his WWE debut on SmackDown, where CEO Vince McMahon dubbed him as “the Chosen One.” Months after his elevation to the main roster, he became Intercontinental Champion. Five years later, McIntyre was released by WWE.
Following his departure, McIntyre spent time with Impact Wrestling and various independent promotions before getting the call to return to WWE.
McIntyre debuted on the NXT brand in 2017 and won the NXT Championship at TakeOver Brooklyn III against Robert Roode shortly afterward. Months later, on the night after WrestleMania 34, McIntyre made his official return to the Raw brand.
2020 was the start of McIntyre’s path to superstardom, as he won the Men’s Royal Rumble match to earn a main event championship match at WrestleMania 36. He defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, but it occurred inside an empty WWE Performance Center due to the coronavirus pandemic. McIntyre held the WWE Championship on two occasions from 2020-21 for a total of 300 days.
At WrestleMania 37, McIntyre held the distinction of being the first WWE superstar to walk down the ramp in the company’s first show in front of fans in over a year. That occurred at Raymond James Stadium in front of 25,675 fans, as he took on Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship.
Now, he looks towards WrestleMania 38 in front of tens of thousands of fans inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. McIntyre’s words on his perspective in his return to WWE are worth following for anyone.