In the interview with Roberts, Balor reveals how he found out he would be facing the Scottish Pyscopath at TLC, and what that means to him.
“I’m still trying to process the fact that I have a match with Drew McIntyre at TLC,” Balor said. “I found out about it the same way you did, through social media.”
While Balor and McIntyre may have come from a similar part of the world to WWE, the two had never wrestled before they found themselves on the Raw roster this year.
“It’s crazy. We come from kind of the same general place on planet earth, we kind of have very similar career paths, but we’ve never had a singles match on TV,” Balor said.
“We never really crossed paths on the indies, we were kind of in the same place at the same time, but it never worked out there.”
Balor went on to say that he feels that their match at TLC will be something of a proving ground for the two superstars.
“I’m sure he has a lot of stuff he wants to prove to me. I have a lot of stuff I want to prove to him,” Balor said.
“Really, I have a lot of stuff I want to prove to everyone that’s watching. I’m looking forward to it. It’s good to be in the mix.”
Balor also says that fans can expect a memorable performance from him at the pay-per-view.
“It’s good to be in that spot. I don’t take it for granted. At TLC, I’m going to pull out all the stops.”
Even though Hall of Famer Edge has retired from professional wrestling since 2011, he has been part of the WWE in one way or another, particularly with his podcast E&C Pod of Awesomeness. Recently he discussed the possibility of himself making an in-ring return and which current WWE superstars has caught his eye.
Speaking to The New York Post, Edge revealed what he thinks his comeback to the ring would look like. Since Shawn Michaels came out of retirement recently, Edge was asked whether he thinks of making a return at his age.
“Ah no. (Laugh.) Well, here’s the thing: People as much as they want it, it’s not going to be what they want. It’s very rare. Especially when you get performers into their 40s and 50s, it’s not an easy job. It’s a very, very difficult thing physically.”
“I personally think your body isn’t meant to do it past 40 years old. It’s just a really, really physically demanding, taxing thing. And I know people hop in and they do one-offs here and there, but I just think it’s a matter of time before eventually they are going to get hit with some kind of injury bullet, because it’s not normal to do to your body, especially once you start getting up in middle age.”
Edge also thinks that former WWE Champion AJ Styles and IC Champion Seth Rollins could have a classic match with him, but it simply isn’t possible anymore for him.
“So, hey, do I know A.J. Styles and I could have an amazing match, Seth Rollins and I could tear it down and have a classic, yeah, if it were me at 35, not me at 45. And not me at 45 not having stepped in a ring for eight years.”
Edge made his debut in the WWE in 1997 and went on to hold 31 championships in his decorated career in the company. He retired in April of 2011 due to cervical spinal stenosis as he was deemed unclear to ever compete. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Rated R Superstar also discussed about the current WWE stars Becky Lynch and Drew McIntyre who have grabbed his attention.
“I’ve been kind of touting Becky for a while, just from the kind of organic reaction she’s gotten from the audience. They want her as the focal point of the division, and it was very, very obvious and thankfully they listened and kind of allowed it to happen, which is real cool and fun to watch.
I really like watching McIntyre right now. I think he reinvented himself. I’ve always really liked Drew and it’s great to see him come back with the right mentality and get this opportunity because he’s has that right mentality.”
Former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre was recently interviewed by Planeta Wrestling, and during the interview, he named two current NXT stars who he thinks are ready for the WWE main roster.
McIntyre recalled once he went to NXT after a successful run on the indy scene and in Impact Wrestling, he knew it was the right move because NXT was in a position like it always is, which is the third brand of the WWE. He thought he came in during restart phase of NXT with talent being moved up to the main roster.
The former NXT Champion talked about how “People started finding themselves like the Velveteen Dream, and now, from top to bottom the roster is stacked.”
McIntyre believes that NXT is a really good place right now so it’s hard to choose because there are so many talented people. He thinks Velveteen Dream and Ricochet are obvious talents ready to be placed from NXT to the main roster.
McIntyre will be featured on Team RAW (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley & Dolph Ziggler) to take on Team SmackDown (Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, The Miz & Randy Orton) in a Men’s Elimination Tag Team Match at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event on Sunday, November 18, 2018.
Drew McIntyre Receives Praise From WWE Hall Of Famer
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry gave high praise to Drew McIntyre on a recent edition of Busted Open Radio where he stated that McIntyre came back to the WWE and has a new moniker as he has been stellar. He praised him for having promos that are priceless and he is unrivaled. Henry believes McIntyre is grabbing the business right now and he’s doing things that a lot of the young people are not doing.
“I think that he will be champion. I think before next year is over, Drew McIntyre will be world champion.”
"I think before next year is over, Drew will be world champion."
One injured WWE star is preparing to make a return to in-ring action as PWInsider reports that Curt Hawkins is expected to be cleared for in-ring action soon. It’s possible that he’s been cleared already.
He has been out of action with a hernia and was last seen on the August, 20th edition of RAW when he confronted Elias and challenged him to a match but lost. He currently holds a long losing record as he has lost 219 matches in a row. It’s safe to say that he’ll continue that streak once he returns.
Drew McIntyre is likely being groomed for big things. “The Scottish Psychopath” has been protected pretty well on WWE TV as of late. In his matches, McIntyre doesn’t get pinned when he or his team are defeated. In his WWE World Cup qualifier match loss to Seth Rollins, McIntyre lost via count out. He then ended the show by taking out Braun Strowman with a Claymore Kick.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer offered some insight into McIntyre’s current push on the main roster. Meltzer noted that McIntyre and Ziggler’s partnership was supposed to be similar to that of the storyline between Shawn Michaels and Diesel. When WWE paired Michaels and Diesel together, they wanted Diesel to be the Superstar because he fit the company’s look.
Meltzer said, hopefully, this plan works better, and it already should since McIntyre is a better wrestler than Diesel. As for whether or not he can carry a company, you won’t know until he’s in the position. If all goes according to plan, McIntyre could be in the World Title picture very soon.
What do you think about McIntyre’s push on Monday Night RAW?
The final segment of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the Undertaker and Kane reuniting to put Shawn Michaels and Triple H down.
Interestingly, shortly after the show ended, the IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho sent out the following tweet stating that ‘wrestling is boring sometimes’:
While not confirmed, a lot of people are considering this to be the former World Champion’s reaction to the Raw episode. We’ll keep you posted if Chris Jericho clarifies his comments or if the story develops any further.
Drew McIntyre Believes WWE Doesn’t Need The Shield
Drew McIntyre defeated the Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins in a one on one match during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw. Though things didn’t end there as he and Dolph Ziggler continued the beatdown on Seth after the match was over
This attack caused both Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to come out to make the save, but the numbers game caught up with the Shield, and it was the team of McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler and Braun Strowman who got the upper hand at the end.
After the segment, Drew was interviewed backstage. In the interview as seen in the video below, the former Champion talked about the Raw episode and explained why the company doesn’t need the Shield:
Drew McIntyre has high expectations going into his six-man tag team match at WWE Super Show-Down.
The current WWE RAW Tag Team champion recently appeared on The Overnight Crowd podcast to talk about various topics including the level of talent that will be on display at this show. He believes that when he teams up with Braun Strowman and Dolph Ziggler to take on The Shield (WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose), they will steal the show.
McIntyre stated that all of the guys in this match are so talented and he has had the opportunity to work with every one of them. He stated that although this show has Triple H versus The Undertaker featured, he believes that “We’re going there to steal the show,” because they plan to go in there and do just that.
WWE will present their Super Show-Down pay-per-view event takes place on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia and will air on the WWE Network. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz, WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, and John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Elias and Kevin Owens are also featured on this show.
Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, and Heath Slater once formed the trio, 3MB. The faction existed in the WWE Universe from 2012-2014.
The WWE Network has just announced the trio will reunite, this time in a “Table For 3” episode set to air on the WWE Network. The episode will air Monday night at the conclusion of Raw.
A synopsis for the show reads: “It’s a Table for 3MB as Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal get the 3-Man Band back together for the greatest reunion of all time!”
Return Of 3MB
The reunion of the faction is made all the sweeter by the fact 2 of the 3 band members were released from WWE. Both Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre were released by WWE on June 12th, 2014.
Following the release of his other band members, Heath Slater moved into a tag-team with Titus O’Neil called “Slater Gator.” From there he’d move into his next low-card stable, the Social Outcasts.
Jinder Mahal spent two years on the independent circuit before returning on August 1st, 2016. Mahal would defeat Heath Slater in his first match back with the company.
Drew McIntyre increased his stock outside of WWE by competing for ICW in Scotland, EVOLVE, and other top-tier independents. He also wrestled for Impact Wrestling. When he returned, however, he was sent to NXT. McIntyre returned to NXT on April 1st, 2017. He would then go on to win the NXT Championship before being called up to the main roster earlier this year.
Drew McIntyre continues to speak out about the differences of the roster from those who were around in his first stint with the WWE as well as to his second/current run today.
The WWE RAW Tag Team Champion spoke with the AL.com to talk about various topics including how there has been a change in WWE culture since his last tenure. He stated that there have been guys who went through the NXT system who are the lending force now and that’s a big difference as everything keeps growing. “The big thing for me is that I’ve grown as a person, matured and returned to make a difference. What I do notice backstage is as good a roster as we have – we have the best roster in the world, men and women – but we do have a few people that perhaps aren’t fulfilling their potential. I know this because that’s who I was during my first run with the company.”
He continued by saying that he can see it when he looks around as it reminds him of myself when he didn’t realize the opportunity he had and that this was the number one show. He had to give it his all in and out of the ring in every possible situation.
He sees that now that he’s back and trying to tell people the answers. “If you don’t take the answers to the question, perhaps it’s time for people to go away like I did and find themselves. And if they don’t, perhaps they don’t belong on the number one show in the world because I can assure you there are people in NXT waiting to take their spots.”
McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler are expected to defend the RAW Tag Team Titles against The B-Team at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.
On Monday’s RAW, tensions between The Shield and Braun Strowman’s new faction continued to grow. Strowman has now aligned himself with RAW Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. He has now evened the odds against Roman Reigns and The Shield. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose came to Reigns’ aid when Strowman attempted to cash-in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase.
Now, Strowman will get his one-on-one shot at Reigns’ Universal Title inside Hell In A Cell. As we build to that, however, The Shield continue to feud with Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre. This week the two factions collided to open up RAW.
Acting General Manager Baron Corbin ushered out the entire locker room to separate the six men. They continued to fight into the backstage area, but eventually The Shield were arrested and taken away for most of the show.
Towards the end of the night, Michael Cole announced that The Shield had been released from jail. They returned in a cop car and made their way to the ring to meet Strowman, McIntyre and Ziggler.
Before that could happen, however, all the heels in the locker room came out to ambush The Shield. The show went off-air as Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose laid lifeless on the floor.
The Explanation
Several days removed from RAW, we finally have an explanation as to how The Shield got out of jail. Corey Graves took to Twitter and suggested that WWE’s David Otunga phoned in a friend in the legal community to get The Shield released.
Here’s Graves’ Tweet:
Made a few calls this morning. Turns out @DavidOtunga has a judge friend in Columbus and called in a late night Labor Day favor for The Shield.
A big title change went down on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center on the USA Network. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) were originally scheduled to challenge for the gold.
However, before their match, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre attacked them. This led to Ziggler and McIntyre replacing them where they went onto defeat The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) to win the RAW Tag Team Titles. This marks the first time that they have titles together.
Axel and Dallas held the titles for just over a month and a half as they beat Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy at the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, PA back in June on the WWE Network.
Although the company has yet to officially announce when the B-Team will get their rematch for the gold, it’s likely that Ziggler and McIntyre will defend the titles against the former champions at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this title change? Was this the right time for the titles to change hands? Sound off in the comment section.
Seth Rollins brought an equalizer to the ring with him on Sunday night and he’s now a two-time Intercontinental champion after defeating Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam.
Monday night saw the return of Dean Ambrose after being out of action for the past nine months due to an injured right arm but he was ringside with Rollins to help negate Drew McIntyre.
The plan worked well as Ambrose got involved towards the final few seconds of the match, delivering Dirty Deeds to McIntyre to keep him from interfering in the finish.
As for Rollins, he delivered another incredible match with Ziggler as these two hit several incredible spots as the kickoff bout for the main card at SummerSlam.
The end came after Ambrose took out McIntyre and it looked like Ziggler would still take advantage of the distraction with a super kick warmed up for Rollins.
Rollins reversed the moves as he turned around and immediately launched a super kick that clocked Zigger before nailing him with the Stomp to get the pin.
Rollins is now a two-time Intercontinental champion while putting an end to Ziggler’s latest reign. Considering the heat between these two superstars — now with Ambrose also back in the mix — it’s hard to believe we won’t see Rollins face Ziggler again in the near future.
What were your thoughts on Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler at Summerslam?
Drew McIntyre says he “lost his fire” when he was released from his WWE contract in 2014. The Scottish SuperStar had been with the company since 2011. He’d even been touted as a future World Champion by Vince McMahon himself.
Initially, McIntyre found success in WWE. He won the Intercontinental Championship in 2009 and later won the tag titles along with Cody Rhodes. By 2012, however, things had changed drastically for him. He would be placed in a trio along with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal known as 3MB.
He recently spoke to Sky Sports about how he sees others on the WWE roster who have lost their fire in a similar way to how he did a few years back.
Drew McIntyre on Complacent WWE Superstars
“When I was there (before), I kind of lost my fire and forgot why I was there, I forgot why I was in WWE and it’s embarrassing to think about that,” McIntyre said. “It was only when I left I realized what an opportunity I’d let slip away and I knew I’d never do that again.”
He then spoke about seeing the same attitude in some members of the current roster.
“I see a lot of the same looks in people’s faces and quite frankly it annoys me,” he continued. “I’ve been around the world and there are independent stars and NXT stars waiting to take their slots.”
McIntyre is currently aligned with Dolph Ziggler on the Raw brand.
“I’m back as the wake-up call to everybody to tell them they have to take their opportunity because there are people ready to take their spot.”
Drew McIntyre has given some insight into his time with the WWE and resurgence in the company.
The former NXT Champion recently appeared on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia to talk about various topics including his reaction to his release by the WWE in 2014 where he noted that he was shocked at first as he was doing the 3MB gimmick with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater where they were on literally every show so it was very unexpected.
He would continue by stating that although he saw the news on social media, it never crossed his mind that a missed call from WWE might have been to tell him the news but rather assumed to tell him to be on the road a week earlier.
“When I got it I was like, “Oh, okay. I’ll be seeing you very soon.” And I sat and I thought about it. My girlfriend at the time who is now my wife and I had just moved into the apartment that I got the call 3 days prior. It was our first place together, so I was thinking, “How am I going to tell her? How am I going to tell my Dad?” He’s always been my number one fan.”
He continued by stating that he worried about the next step and then eventually told himself that this is the opportunity he’s been waiting for and that it had been years since he was in a serious role.
He noted that it was the right time to be away from the company for a while and to have learned so much. He believed in himself and that he could really do something and the wrestling scene outside of WWE was really picking up. This is when he got excited.
McIntyre also touched on his decision to go back to NXT when he returned to the company instead of going back to the main roster right away.
“That was what I wanted. I told my wife in the beginning when NXT really started catching fire,”You know what babe, ideal when I go back there first, if I do my thing here and I get a reputation in the independent scene, then I believe I can get an angle to NXT because it’s such a passionate fan base. I think that would be the place for me to go to really show what I can do. And then when the time is right, because the transition is so much smoother from NXT to RAW and Smackdown, because it moves so fast. RAW and Smackdown, there’s so many hours of unique TV every single week all year round.”
McIntyre added that is the way he saw it and even told Chris Jericho about it during a podcast appearance as he gave credit to Jericho for helping him early in his career and Jericho telling him when he was released that he’d be back in WWE.
McIntyre also talked about how he discovered his love for wrestling and more. You can listen to the full interview here.
What are your thoughts on McIntyre’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Seth Rollins came up just short in reclaiming the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules last night (Sun. July 15, 2018). “The Architect” was defeated by Dolph Ziggler in Sudden Death Overtime of their 30-minute Ironman match. Rollins took to Twitter after the loss and noted that he’s going to have to “find a new way”:
Looking in the mirror and taking accountability for your own shortcomings can be a tough pill to swallow, but every day is a new chance to be better. Time to find a new way. #allheart
It should be interesting to see what’s next for Rollins on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
Goldberg Crashes A Truck (Video)
WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg recently got to drive a Toyota Tundra at the annual Goodwood Festival Of Speed in England this past weekend (Fri. July 13, 2018). Goldberg actually crashed the truck into a hay bale while driving it. Goldberg was doing well on the track until clipping the hay and being stopped dead in his tracks. He had just missed a few hay bales before as well. You can check out the video here below:
Glenn Rubenstein of Wrestling Inc. Tweeted out a mention to Paul Heyman during last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, asking if The Advocate was watching the show.
Heyman responded by saying that RAW is built around challengers instead of a once in a lifetime athlete like Brock Lesnar. Heyman then said that the commercials were actually the best part of the show:
If @HeymanHustle is actually watching #RAW on live TV, why isn’t he live-tweeting snarky comments about the commercials, like the rest of us?@WrestlingInc
Blunt answer to your interratory: Because when #RAW is built around CHALLENGERS (aka "wannabes") instead of a once-ever athlete (@BrockLesnar) and his humble @Advocate, the commercials are actually the best part of the show!
Last night Seth Rollins was on the verge of recapturing the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler. Rollins and Ziggler main evented the show and were putting on an absolute classic.
Initially McIntyre accompanied Ziggler to the ring but was thrown out backstage by the referee during the match. Just when it looked like Rollins was about to win the match, McIntyre came out to break things up and attacked Rollins. The Architect won the match via disqualification, however, the title could not change hands.
Backstage WWE pulled Rollins aside for an interview. Rollins said he’ll stomp on McIntyre’s face and knock his teeth out for standing in his way of the Intercontinental Title:
The Undertaker created his own Instagram account several weeks ago. On Monday he posted a photo of himself and rapper Post Malone at his concert in Austin, Texas from Saturday night. Undertaker destroyed a guitar on stage and also chokeslammed Malone backstage in a segment.
Taker’s wife and former WWE Women’s Champion, Michelle McCool, took to her Instagram and posted a photo of herself and The Deadman on their “date night”:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkItQ-rBnzz/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIrNu-gquH/
Drew McIntyre Reacts To Dolph Ziggler’s IC Title Win
Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship on last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. Ziggler’s partner, Drew McIntyre, took to Twitter to react to the former WWE World Champ’s victory:
I know everyone has been waiting to see what controversial truth bombs will be dropped next. All I have to say is this– do we have your undivided attention now?? #BURNEDITDOWN#Rawpic.twitter.com/DfC9Eu6eN5
WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre was recently a guest on Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, in which they discussed several professional wrestling topics. McIntyre revealed that current NXT General Manager William Regal still mentored him while he was on the indies, and was a big part in getting him a second shot in WWE:
“The whole time I was gone [from WWE], I was gone for three years, he was always there for advice.” McIntyre continued, “we’d kind of speak back and forth and he always kept an eye on everything I was up to. And then, when the time came, my TNA contract was up, my wife and I decided not to re-sign.
“We tried to decide the next step, thinking, ‘is it Japan?’ He was the one that said, ‘alright, you need to have this conversation with Triple H. Now is the time to come back home.’ I got on the phone with Hunter and we spoke for about 30 minutes. And at the end of that conversation, I knew it was time to come home. He is the reason that I’m back right now.”
McIntyre then discussed his pairing with Dolph Ziggler on RAW. The former Intercontinental Champion noted he was happy with the pairing but only found out about it on the day he made his main roster return:
“I love it.” McIntyre remembered, “I got told about it when I got to TV that day. I didn’t quite know what was going on. I was a single’s babyface when I was NXT Champion there. And when I came back, I was leaning more towards the heel side with Dolph and Dolph’s somebody I go way back with and I was really looking forward to work with him.”
A lot of fans have been impressed with McIntyre since making his main roster return, and already want to see him on the main event scene as a singles competitor. McIntyre has heard these remarks, but urges fans to be patient and enjoy the storyline that is being presented right now:
“The way things have gone so far, people are asking a lot of questions.” McIntyre professed, “I know a lot of people are jumping way ahead and I appreciate all the positive things people are saying, but just remember there are 52 weeks of TV a year. Let’s just take our time and introduce the casual audience to who Drew McIntyre is now. We’re going to get there and it’s going to be a fun journey.”
As far as who he’d like to work with when he does go solo; McIntyre lists names such as Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns:
“When Braun Strowman and I stepped into the ring together, I could literally feel the crowd rumble.” McIntyre explained, “and I’m just back and I still have some equity to build with those casual fans, but just from a visual perspective, I could feel them rumbling, and I was like, ‘wow, this could be something really good down the line.’
“And Roman, he works his butt off. That’s another guy I’m looking forward to getting in the ring with. Rollins is killing it every single week. When we get the opportunity, we’re going to tear the roof off. And that’s just a few obvious names of guys that are working their butt off and I’m looking forward to working with.”
You can listen to McIntyre’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
There was one WWE Hall of Famer who recently gave some high praise to Drew McIntyre.
Former WWE Champion and General Manager of WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, Mick Foley was keeping a close eye on the product.
The “Hardcore Legend” decided to take to his official Twitter account to note that he sees the former NXT Champion becoming a champion soon on the red brand. He wrote the following:
“Am I the only one who sees championship gold in @DMcIntyreWWE’s very near future?”
As seen on this week’s episode of RAW in Little Rock, AR at the Verizon Arena on the USA Network, Dolph Ziggler and McIntyre beat Fandango and Tyler Breeze in a tag team match.
As of this writing, they do not have a match lined up for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Foley’s praise of McIntyre? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. McIntyre first started off by saying that regardless of what WWE Superstars are given by creative, they should make the most of it because there are men and women in NXT ready to take their spots:
“No matter what it is, don’t blame creative.” McIntyre said. “Don’t sit there with the boo-hoo face. You figure out the story and you tell the story because there are other people in NXT waiting to take your spot if you’re not willing to step up on RAW.”
McIntyre then discussed there being ‘filler’ in WWE programming, and blames it on the complacency of some current WWE performers:
“I understand that RAW is the best show in the world.” McIntyre said. “It’s the best product in the world today as evidenced by the TV deals we’re getting and the consistent ratings. We have the best talent. But also, we have five hours with SmackDown every week. And as goof as a lot of it is, there is a lot of filler in there and a lot of guys just sitting around. They just don’t have the passion. It’s as simple as that.
“I can say it because I was that guy before I got released. I was that guy at some point. I wasn’t confident. I wasn’t pushing myself to get to the top. I wasn’t bettering myself in the gym. I wasn’t pitching stories. I wasn’t trying to be a better performer. I think that a lot of people forget they’re in WWE and get complacent. It makes me sick because [Ross has] seen the independent scene right now.
“[Ross] know[s] how much talent is out there. I was NXT Champion. I know how much talent is there. They’ve got the fire in their eyes. They’re ready to take those spots and I’m there to make sure Monday Night RAW is all killer. We don’t need any filler anymore. It all trickles down from the top, like, the whole industry. Monday Night RAW needs to be killer from top to bottom. And right now, there is room for improvement and I’m there to be the wakeup call that it needs.”
He then discussed the importance of building relationships with WWE brass, and explained that he’s not sure that the legends he shared the locker room with in his last WWE run would approve of how things are done nowadays:
“I built my business and WWE brought my business in.” McIntyre continued, “I want to be successful in my business and, in turn, make WWE successful. How do I do that if I don’t have a relationship with the people in charge? It sounds so simple saying it. And hopefully, a lot of the guys in the back that are listening to me right now, because it took me a while to get there, but you have to start thinking this way if you want to be on top of the show, which you should, if you want to be champion, you need to look yourself in the mirror and be accountable.
“Have you given everything you can to build those relationships? Have you done everything? And I can assure you, a lot of people aren’t and I’m not going to be shy in telling people time goes on. And, honestly, I’ve been in the locker room with The Undertakers, Mysterios, Christians, even Ric Flair when I was 22. I don’t know if all of them would be happy to see how the locker room is these days.”
You can listen to McIntyre’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre the guest of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross on the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report podcast.
During the discussion, McIntyre gave some advice to the WWE roster and commented on whether or not he believes there are any leaders left in the locker room.
McIntyre’s Advice To The WWE Locker Room
As someone who had a run with WWE, was released, improved himself on the independent scene and ultimately returned in a better position, McIntyre had some advice for the WWE roster – especially talent who are frustrated with their roles.
“Don’t blame creative. Don’t sit there with a boo-boo face, you figure out the story and you tell the story cause there’s a lot of people waiting in NXT to take your spot if you’re not willing to step up on Raw. There are the guys, but there is certainly room for more growth. The things I’m saying, there’s a lot of truth to what I’m saying and that’s probably why people are feeling them, probably why they are saying ‘when Drew talks I can kinda feel it’ cause it’s real, because I do believe what I’m saying. I did get released, it was the best thing to happen to me because I finally got reunited with that fire, that passion. I had to sink or swim.
I understand that Raw is the best show in the world, the best product in the world. We have five hours of Raw and Smackdown every week and as good as a lot of it is, there is a lot of filler in there and there is a lot guys just sitting around. They don’t have the passion it is as simple as that. I can say it because I was that guy. I’m disappointed in myself, I wasn’t working my ass off to get to the top, I wasn’t preparing myself in the gym, I wasn’t pitching stories, I wasn’t trying to be a better performer.”
“I think people forget that are in WWE and they become complacent. It just makes me sick because you’ve seen the independent scene right now, you know how much talent is there is out there. I was the NXT Champion I know how much talent is there. They’ve got the fire in their eyes their ready to take their spots and I’m there to make sure that Monday Night Raw is all killer. We don’t any need filler anymore. It all trickles down from the top. Like the whole industry, Monday Night Raw needs to be killer from top to bottom and right now, there’s room for improvement and I’m there to be the wake-up call that it needs.”
What are your thoughts on his encouraging comments?
(H/T to WrestleZone for the transcribed quotes)
McIntyre’s Path Since Leaving WWE In 2014
Following his first run with WWE that ended with his departure in 2014, McIntyre went back to the indy scene as well as competed in Impact Wrestling where he proved to people that he was someone to keep an eye on and reformed his career.
He re-signed with the sports entertainment company in April 2017 and joined developmental brand NXT. He went on to win the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III by defeating Bobby Roode. This marks the first time that a Superstar won the NXT Title in his TakeOver in-ring debut. He suffered a torn bicep back in November 2017 at an NXT TakeOver event where he lost the title to Andre Almas.
After rehabbing, he came back better than ever and was called up to the main roster earlier this year and was placed on the flagship show of the sports entertainment company, Monday Night RAW. He’s been paired with Dolph Ziggler in recent weeks.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre is back with the WWE, and after a brief stint as NXT Champion, he was called up to the main roster as part of a tag team with Dolph Ziggler.
He recently did an interview with WWE’s website to talk about his return to the Monday Night RAW locker room. McIntyre opened up about how different the locker room is since his last stint with WWE from 2007 to 2014:
“I remember thinking, ‘Man, people are so relaxed now,’ acting like it’s not live Raw. There’s no tension in the air. Everyone is just getting along like we’re at band camp.
“There are Superstars that deserve to be at the top and do give everything. But unfortunately, a vast majority wouldn’t have survived 11 years ago when I got signed. Those who ask themselves, ‘Is he talking about me?’ Positive or negative, the answer is probably yes.”
You can read McIntyre’s full Q&A with WWE by clicking this link here.
Last month former WWE NXT Champion Drew McIntyre was called up to the main roster as a member of Monday Night RAW. Interestingly enough, he made his debut alongside Dolph Ziggler – who moved over to Monday Nights from SmackDown Live – in a tag team.
McIntyre has been expected to be a big singles star upon his main roster call-up by fans, so seeing him paired with Ziggler was a very interesting choice by WWE creative. In regards to who has been calling these shots, PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson reports it has been all Vince McMahon.
Vince reportedly made the call to bring McIntyre up from NXT and it was also his call to pair him up with Ziggler.
McIntyre previously worked for WWE back in 2007 when he was signed to a developmental deal. He went on to win the Intercontinental Championship before having a major drop-off in his career, subsequently pairing up with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater to form Three Man Band (3MB).
He was released from the company in 2014 and returned to the independent circuit. Following stints with EVOLVE, IMPACT, and many others – McIntyre signed back with WWE in April of 2017 and was sent to NXT.
Discussion: How do you like the pairing of McIntyre and Ziggler? And where do you think WWE is going with the team?
Many fans noticed that former WWE NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, who was recently called up to the main roster on Monday Night RAW, wasn’t in Saudi Arabia for the Greatest Royal Rumble.
PWInsider reports that McIntyre wasn’t at the show because he had an issue with his visa. McIntyre made his main roster debut a few weeks ago and there wasn’t enough time to get the issue sorted out.
The Rock Trolls Kevin Hart On Social Media
Former WWE Champion The Rock recently welcomed a new baby girl into the world, and a photo of himself and the newborn has gone viral from his Instagram account. Many have photoshopped the image as a popular new meme.
Rock seems to have gotten in on the fun, and photoshopped his good friend Kevin Hart’s face in place of his daughter’s. He joked that Hart was his son and vowed to always protect him. Check it out:
WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre recently did an interview with Planeta Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. McIntyre first discussed his recovery from the recent bicep injury that kept him sidelined for several months:
“I got injured on November 18th [NXT TakeOver:War Games], I was wrapping my arm around my injury [torn bicep], and I started to Google the fastest amount of time someone has healed with this type of injury, it said four months, so I set out to get healed in four months by WrestleMania weekend, and I have been working very hard to come back.”
The match McIntyre injured himself in was against Andrade “Cien” Almas, who defeated the Scotsman to become the new NXT Champion. McIntyre offered his impressions of the now-former NXT Champion, who was recently called-up to SmackDown Live:
“I think he is very, very good. I think the pairing with Zelina Vega was perfect. It was just something that was missing. He is very good in the ring; great high-flyer, but he never really got to show it until he wrestled against myself. He can do everything.
“There was just something that was missing until the pairing with Zelina Vega, and I think he is going to shine in every area of his game. There is no shame in losing against him. He hits very hard. I hit very hard. He has some cool moves up his sleeve.
“In the end he dropped me on my head, tore my bicep and won the title and put me out on four months. On that night, he was the better man.”
McIntyre was then asked who he would like to sign with WWE from the Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) promotion:
“There are a few of the guys that are already part of the NXT brand. Wolfgang is already over here. Guys like Killian Dain, Nikki Cross, Noam Dar, who is part of the Cruiserweight division. There are a few guys from ICW that I would like for them to come over here to show what they can do.
“Jack Jester and Sha Samuels perhaps. BT Gunn is another guy that I would like to see. He is amazing in the ring. We have so many. The entire Insane Championship Wrestling roster is very talented.”
Finally, McIntyre offered his thoughts on ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey now becoming a WWE Superstar:
“It is a huge deal. She is such a gigantic name on the mainstream. She is box office in sports and in the Octagon. I didn’t watch UFC much, but whenever she had a fight I would want to watch. She is such an attraction. She is such a big fan of our business, and isn’t just here for a payday. She genuinely loves this. I remember seeing her at a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show in Los Angeles, when she was in the crowd.
“Her rival was on next for a UFC pay per view while our show was going on, and myself along with Trevor Lee were having a match in the crowd. A photographer took a picture of us fighting in the crowd with her in the background watching our match instead of watching the UFC fight. That is how much she loves this business, and we saw her in the crowd all the time. She is not taking this lightly, and is doing a great job.
“This is not an easy job to get. It took me 17 years to get to the point where I am at. It took her two months to get to the point where she is at and I see her looking more and more comfortable in the ring as well.”