"It's politicking 24x7" - Wrestling veteran discusses backstage scenario before Drew McIntyre's contract negotiations
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently spoke about Drew McIntyre renewing his contract with the company.
The Scottish Warrior recently renewed his deal with the company. He was greeted by none other than The Rock, who congratulated him on the new deal and also presented him with a Scottish Claymore Sword as a token of appreciation.
On a recent episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran pointed out that Drew played his cards well throughout the negotiations. The veteran felt that he kept WWE management guessing if he were signing with AEW. He detailed that WWE officials felt AEW being a possible alternative helped McIntyre get a better deal.
"Well, he's saying the truth because there's a lot going on behind that curtain all the time. It's politicking 24x7." Mantell continued, "Okay, what did he say? He says I know better, that's what he said right, Drew? He says, 'Yeah, you gotta game the system.' So he was going in there, I'm not gonna sign, I'm not gonna sign and he got them thinking, well, AEW is there. He couldn't have done this without AEW. They would think to themselves, as I did, as you did, as everybody did: 'Hey, where is he going to go and make the money he's making now?' And the answer is nowhere without a billionaire running that other company." [From 2:01:42 - 2:02:33]
Drew McIntyre is in a rivalry with CM Punk
Over the last few months, Drew McIntyre's hatred for CM Punk has increased manifold. The Scottish Warrior won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL but didn't get much time to celebrate the win as his moment was ruined by a cash-in from Damian Priest following an altercation with Punk.
Last week on WWE RAW, Drew McIntyre was irate when he was drafted to the red brand after Punk. Later, The Straightedge Superstar came down to the ring and vowed to ruin McIntyre's life.
This is a blockbuster feud in the making and it will be interesting to see when these two megastars collide in the ring.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcript.