Former WWE Champion on how he impressed Vince McMahon upon his return after being fired
Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has opened up on how he was able to impress Vince McMahon upon his return to WWE after being released.
In a recent appearance on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast, the former WWE Champion revealed his desire to perform on NXT, before returning to RAW or SmackDown, caught the attention of the WWE Chairman.
McIntyre said Vince McMahon responded positively to McIntyre's intentions to work in NXT first, saying McMahon recognized him as more of a "businessman" as opposed to just a performer.
Here's what Drew McIntrye had to say about impressing Vince McMahon:
"It was important for me to be there (in NXT). I was going to put in the work while I was there and I was so proud of what I was able to achieve there. I wish I never tore my bicep of the bone, it cut my run short. But I did maximize that time, working with Shawn Michaels at the Performance Center and, inevitably, when I returned to RAW, and I started getting running, Mr. McMahon did say to me one day… he knew that I wanted to go to NXT and that did impress him."
He continued:
"That I was like, 'No, I want to start here. I want to prove myself. This is my audience right now and eventually, I’ll come over here and start again, I’ll educate myself on WWE RAW or WWE SmackDown, wherever I happen to land.' He was impressed with just that mindset and he could see what I was thinking, now more as a businessman, looking at things logically, than, 'I wanna be on RAW!' Than just jump in at the deep end. No, that doesn’t make sense."
Clearly, McIntyre's intentions to impress the boss worked well, as he was crowned WWE Champion at WrestleMania 36.
Drew McIntyre opens up on anxiety in WWE
During the same interview, Drew McIntyre also discussed last-minute changes behind the scenes in WWE. McIntyre revealed that they used to cause him considerable anxiety before he headed out in front of a live audience:
"There are times, you know, about when things change right up to the last second sometimes, with the interviews on the show. These days? Doesn’t affect me at all. Back in the day? I would have a panic attack!" McIntyre said.
Drew McIntyre's new book, A Chosen Destiny, is set to be released in the United States on May 4th and is available now in other countries.