Drew McIntyre ‘so proud’ to have set blueprint for released WWE wrestlers
Drew McIntyre is proud to have set a blueprint that others can follow after being released by WWE.
When he was cut from his contract in 2014, McIntyre rededicated himself in his career and focused on having the best run outside of WWE possible. He returned in 2017 for a second run that has brought a newfound level of success, including multiple World Championship reigns. He has the chance to become WWE Champion again this weekend when he challenges Cody Rhodes for the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
McIntyre told the No Contest Wrestling podcast that he loves being used as an example for how others can reinvent their careers after getting fired. He believes WWE management even points to him as a success story while giving encouragement to released talent.
“WWE genuinely tell people, ‘Look what Drew did. He took them on a journey, reinvented himself, and found his way back. And if you’re good enough, if you work hard enough, if you believe in yourself enough, you can do it too.’ I’m so proud of that,” McIntyre said. “You know, as much as stuff is going on with Cody and I right now, look what he did. He followed the blueprint, and he took it to the next level himself. Zack Ryder — Matt Cardona right now — he truly is independent. He’s able to do that carny stuff Cody and I weren’t very good at [laughs]. And he does an amazing job at it.
“I know so many people killing it, kind of using that blueprint I’m so proud of.”
McIntyre said that, when he was out of WWE, William Regal kept an eye on him and kept Paul “Triple H” Levesque informed. McIntyre was ready to go to NJPW in 2017 but decided to come back to WWE instead after a conversation with Levesque.
Salt Lake City is hosting Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend. The show — streaming live on Peacock — will see the crowning of a new World Heavyweight Champion as CM Punk and Jey Uso face off for the vacant title.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.