Drew McIntyre Comments On Telling His Parents He Wanted To Be A Wrestler, More

During a new editorial for the The Players Tribune, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre commented on telling his parents he wanted to be a wrestler, his career so far, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:

On telling his parents he wanted to be a wrestler: “I probably should have mentioned that I was still only six at this point — by which I mean, if you know what six year olds are like, then you know that pretty much everyone at that age has some outlandish plan for when they’re grown. Basically all of my friends wanted to become a wrestler, or a footballer, or a rugby player or what have you. So I think as far as my family was concerned, you know….. there wasn’t really much cause for worry. I was just another kid with some crazy idea in his head. Except here’s the thing about that. Six turned to seven, which turned to eight, which turned to 9, 10, 11….. and what I remember is, right around that age, I’d say 10 or 11 years old, most of my friends in Ayr started to get a lot more realistic about their ambitions. A few kids in our class stuck with rugby, a few stuck with football. But for the most part, all of those chest-out declarations from a few years prior had faded away. Now it was more like — “My uncle has a job waiting for me,” or, “I’ll probably start working for my dad soon.” I suppose my dream missed the memo about fading away. By 11, I was more committed to becoming a wrestler than ever before. Now the only real question left was…. what can I do about it? Watching television on Saturday with my cousins, it wasn’t enough for me anymore. Imitating moves with my brother on the sofa, that wasn’t going to get me noticed by Vince McMahon. It was like — I’m 11 years old, dammit.”

On his failed first run: “In all seriousness, here’s the thing: I think I was legitimately talented, with great size, a good look, and a deep love for the sport — and WWE wasn’t wrong to see big-time potential in me. But no matter how “big-time,” what they saw was still just that. Potential. In terms of where I actually was as a performer around then? I mean, it’s not complicated….. and we don’t have to be polite. I was crap. I think WWE’s philosophy, as far as how to turn my potential into reality, was to put my feet to the fire, so to speak. That was surely their thinking behind Vince going on TV and declaring me his Chosen One: They figured I’d learn how to succeed on the job. What I think was less understood, though (both by them and by me), is that the thing I most needed to learn about in a training environment, it wasn’t success — it was failure. I’d really only known success. Whether it was in IWW or BCW or RQW or wherever else: at pretty much every single stage of the journey, from my first day of training through that introduction Vince gave me on Smackdown, I had basically been treated as if I were destined for greatness. This meant I’d never really faced professional adversity. And I think even more importantly, it meant I’d never really faced professional pressure. In other words, hell yes I should have felt the pressure after Vince’s “future World Champion” promo. Vince McMahon himself just gave me the damn ball!! If that isn’t pressure, man….. I don’t know what is. But I don’t think it ever quite registered with me in that way. And whether that was due to talent or execution or creative or attitude or just plain luck — in the end, I have to say, I think it’s a little immaterial. The answer to me is almost always “some combination.” I think WWE put me in countless, generous positions to prove everyone right. And it turned out all I needed was the chance to prove someone wrong.”

On getting the call to come back: “In early 2017, I started weighing my options — and was leaning toward signing a part-time deal in Japan. That meant I would work a set number of dates in New Japan Pro Wrestling, one of the top promotions in the world, while also getting to keep up my indie dates and general UK presence. It seemed like the best of both worlds: stability, money, excitement, prestige. But before I could sign, I got a call from a friend — William Regal. He had a modest proposal: No pressure….. but before I make up my mind on anything, just take a phone call from Triple H. I said yeah, sure, of course, why not. Triple H, great guy, always treated me really well. Would be nice to catch up. Got on the phone with Hunter, talked for about 45 minutes. And just on a personal level, given how much respect I have for him — it was one of those conversations that meant everything to me. He told me that he’d been keeping his eye on me, keeping an eye on my progress, and just how proud he was of me for how far I’d come. Not only as a wrestler, but as a man. And as we got to talking, and it was clear that there was mutual interest in a reunion between WWE and myself — something happened that made me feel like the stars had finally aligned. Hunter told me that everyone wanted me back…. but there was one thing he wanted to run by me first. At the same time, I told Hunter that if I was going to come back, there was one thing I’d have to run by him first. I put my cards on the table. ‘If I’m going to come back, brother….. I really do think it has to be with NXT. NXT has those hardcore fans, it has that indie spirit — and that’s where I’ve been building so much of my momentum lately. Of course who knows what the future holds. But right now, for this moment? I belong in NXT.’ Hunter didn’t miss a beat. ‘Drew, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about….. I was thinking the same thing.’”

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