Drew McIntyre on his WWE Championship win in front of no fans
WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, opened up on how it felt to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36 with zero fans in attendance.
Usually, winning the WWE Championship in the main event of the biggest show of the year would be a career-defining moment for a WWE Superstar. However, this wasn't the case for Drew McIntyre.
Due to COVID-19, WrestleMania was moved from Raymond James Stadium, which would've seated 80,000 fans. Instead, it was spread across two nights at the WWE Performance Center in front of zero fans.
During the main event of night two of WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. Speaking to The Glasgow Times, Drew McIntyre admitted the moment wasn't exactly how he imagined it would be.
“It’s not what I imagined or what I dreamt of. It was supposed to be at Raymond James Stadium in front of 80,000 people, literally 20 minutes from my home [in Florida]. The main event against Brock Lesnar for the WWE title, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. Then the pandemic hit and I went through all the emotions possible."
Drew McIntyre on changing his mindset
Despite the obstacles caused by COVID-19, WWE moved forward with WrestleMania 36. The event aired on Apr. 4 and 5, 2020.
Drew McIntyre admits that once he realized how serious the ongoing pandemic was, he evaluated his thought process on WrestleMania 36 taking place at the WWE Performance Center.
McIntire didn't remain disappointed that he could no longer share the biggest moment of his career with 80,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium. Now, his focus was on putting smiles on the faces of the WWE Universe watching around the world during a difficult time for us all.
“It’s when I started watching the news and speaking to people about it that I understood how severe the situation was. The fact we were pushing ahead with WrestleMania during difficult times, it changed my mindset. I went from disappointment to thinking I was being a bit selfish. That I could make people smile, it was really big and a feel good story, so it took on a whole new meaning to me. Nobody will forget the WrestleMania when the world stood still.”
Drew McIntyre is scheduled to defend the WWE Championship at Randy Orton in the main event of SummerSlam on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020.
Do you think Drew McIntyre will get his 'WrestleMania moment' in front of fans eventually?