The current NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, was interview by The Whig recently and Drew went over his success-story comeback to the WWE. He discussed how coming back to NXT was perfect for him, his good friend Jinder Mahal reaching the top of the WWE mountain and both of them leading the charge at the same time, along with much more.
Here are the highlights:
McIntyre On The Feeling Of Winning The NXT Title:
“The photograph of me there, on my knees looking at the title, that pretty much says it all. All the hard work over the past few years and busting my ass, the physical and mental tol;, that moment, it all felt worth it and the picture just sums up everything I was feeling in that moment.”
His Journey Back To The WWE:
“I got signed the first time when I was 21. I’d been training to be a wrestler since I was 15, it was all I ever wanted to do, all I was ever going to do, it was perfect. I came to America and it was the first time I was on my own. Suddenly, I got over here and (realized that) my mom (had always) done everything for me, the laundry wasn’t magically doing itself anymore.”
“I learned a lot. When I was released, I (knew) it was time to apply what I learned, sink or swim. I believed that I had something to offer, this was all I’d ever done. The WWE had trained me to the point where I had enough knowledge that I could really make a difference in this business. I was very fortunate that I was given so many opportunities, that’s all I’ve ever asked for, to be given the ball, it’s up to me whether I score or not.”
McIntyre On Coming Back To NXT Specifically:
“I knew 100% I would be back. I truly believe that if you believe something enough, you can achieve anything. Whatever your passion is, if you believe in it enough and you work hard enough, you can do anything. I was the first ever Scotsman to come from Scotland to (WWE) because I believed it enough qnd when I was (released), the first thing I did was go on Talk is Jericho with Chris Jericho and said: ‘I’m going to go out, I’m going to achieve a few things, I’m going to show the world who I really am and I’m going to be back home’ and I truly believed that and now I’m back (and) four months later, NXT champion and everything’s just falling into place.”
“NXT was exactly the path that I was looking to take. It’s something I told my wife a couple of years ago when things were starting to get rolling and I was really starting to remake my name out there. I told her when I go back, I want to be part of NXT, that’s where I’m going to rebuild my image and rebuild and show the world who I am.”
Jinder Mahal:
“(We took) different journeys. Straight out of the gate, I knew what I was going to do. I had a very clear mission statement. With Jinder, he kind of fell out of it a little bit and he has spoken about his publicly. He wasn’t sure if wrestling, or sports entertainment was in his future. He was getting a little out of shape, he wasn’t quite motivated, but he started pushing, training again, got himself motivated and he got the call to come back to WWE. We kept in contact with each other. Both of us would go back and forth about cutting the negatives out of our lives; both of us cut out the alcohol and the partying, which isn’t productive for an athlete. We started eliminating anything that wasn’t benefiting us, people who weren’t benefiting us, we were just very driven and very focused and we were both on the same page in that sense. Our physiques obviously changed. When you train that hard and try that hard and you’re that driven, pushing each other and pushing each other. It was so cool that our careers started mirroring each other.”
A Special Moment After SummerSlam With Him & Mahal:
“After the show, myself and Jinder in the hotel room, both with our titles looking at each other and saying: ‘Imagine three years ago if somebody said this was going to happen?’” We’d probably have told you you were absolutely insane, but we did it. We believed in ourselves and it’s a message to anybody out there who has a dream that seems impossible. Nothing is impossible, just look at Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre.”
