Drew McIntyre: "I deserved to get fired" from WWE; addresses The Rock's major announcement
Drew McIntyre recently opened up about getting fired from WWE back in 2014, while also discussing The Rock personally announcing his new contract.
McIntyre was dubbed by Vince McMahon as "The Chosen One" and won the Intercontinental Championship less than a year on the main roster. However, he later languished in the lower midcard and was part of 3MB before getting released in 2014.
In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, The Scottish Warrior opened up about his release and explained he deserved to get fired. He also delivered an inspiring message based on the ups and downs of his career.
"I was fired in 2014 by WWE and I deserved to get fired. I needed to get fired to truly find myself, and 10 years later The Rock's announcing that Drew McIntyre re-signed with WWE. For anyone out there who's made it and then you get knocked down in your b*tt, you got to keep fighting. You got to keep pushing forward. You got to leave no stone unturned. Put the work in, be accountable to the person in the mirror. You can do freaking anything. I've done it time and time again and this is the most recent incident of it," McIntyre said. [11:13 - 11:38]
Drew McIntyre was re-signed by Triple H in April 2017 and was established as a new star on NXT. McIntyre was later called up to the main roster and became one of the top heels in the company before turning face after winning the 2020 Royal Rumble match.
He would beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win the WWE Championship. Fast forward to another four years and The Rock personally announced McIntyre's new contract with the company while receiving a personal Scottish Claymore sword as a gift from The Final Boss.
Drew McIntyre on what match inspired him to be a wrestler
In the same interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Drew McIntyre revealed the match that inspired him to become a professional wrestler. McIntyre was just a kid in Scotland when he watched Steve Austin and Bret Hart stole the show at WrestleMania 13.
"Thinking of all the matches that struck me as a kid when I want to be like that, I want to be this good. It was WrestleMania 13, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart versus Stone Cold Steve Austin. Even at my age at the time, which my goodness, I was probably not even a teenager yet. They told the perfect story. Everything that was good about her industry, the physicality, and but more importantly, and the biggest thing in our industry is an emotional connection with our audience. That's something you can't really teach. It's something you either have or you don't have or can be developed through time." [20:12 - 20:38]
Drew McIntyre will remain with WWE for the foreseeable future after signing a multi-year extension. He's only one of several superstars expected to extend their deals with the company.