Insane Championship Wrestling has publicly congratulated former ICW World Champion Drew McIntyre on his return to Monday Night RAW. The company made the following statement in an interview with the Sunday Post in Scotland:

“Drew McIntyre helped put ICW on the map. He took the ICW Heavyweight Championship and defended it across the globe, giving it World Title status. He was also one of the main features of our Fear & Loathing event at the SSE Hydro, the biggest British independent professional wrestling show in thirty years. We’re forever grateful to Drew for what he has done for ICW and cannot wait to see what he brings to the RAW brand.”

McIntyre (known as Galloway on the independent scene) had two stints for ICW, his first back in 2006 when he appeared at the company’s inaugural event and became their first ever Heavyweight Champion and his second followed his 2014 release from WWE. Drew’s run from 2014-2017 completely reignited his career and fundamentally changed the course of ICW’s already incredible success story.

Insane Championship Wrestling inducted the former NXT/WWE Intercontinental Champion into their Hall of Fame earlier this year on February 12th.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/986276525396910081

Tonight WWE is set to kick off its Superstar Shake-Up event, shuffling WWE stars to different brands for the next 48 hours.

It all starts tonight in Hartford for Monday Night RAW. While many are ready so see Superstars swap brands, it’s also expected that some names from NXT could be called up as well.

One of those names just might be former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Per a report from the WrestleVotes Twitter account, McIntyre is backstage for tonight’s RAW. The report noted that there’s currently no news on if he’ll be drafted or not:

Interesting Monday Night Raw tonight. A majority of the Smackdown roster will be in town, including some surprises. NXT star Drew McIntyre is in Hartford. No idea if he’s getting the call up or not. Personally, I’d throw him on the Smackdown brand but we’ll see.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) April 16, 2018

Also, the majority of SmackDown Live’s roster is also backstage at RAW, with some more surprises as well. Tonight’s RAW should be a very fun one indeed, and it will be interesting to see where WWE decides to send some of its biggest stars.

McIntyre has been out-of-action since his NXT Title loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November. He suffered a torn bicep during the match and has been rehabbing ever since.

This past November at NXT TakeOver: WarGames former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre suffered a torn bicep injury during his title loss to Andrade Almas. The former Intercontinental Champion needed surgery to repair the injury. PWInsider‘s Mike Johnson reports that McIntyre has been spotted working out at the WWE Performance Center for the past few days, meaning he is close to making his in-ring return.

Johnson also noted that he was previously told that the timeframe for McIntyre’s return from injury ended sometime in April. WWE’s goal was to have him return for WrestleMania weekend and they’re right on track to make that happen. There is currently no news on what WWE has planned for McIntyre once he returns to NXT, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre was inducted into the ICW Hall Of Fame earlier this month. The icon of Scottish wrestling helped grow and define Insane Championship Wrestling into the phenomenon they are today.

McIntyre (known as Galloway on the independent scene) had two stints for the company, his first back in 2006 when he appeared at the company’s inaugural event and became their first ever Heavyweight Champion and his second followed his 2014 release from WWE. Drew’s run from 2014-2017 completely reignited his career and fundamentally changed the course of ICW’s already incredible success story.

Drew recently spoke to SPORTBible on his induction and revealed his thoughts on the Scottish scene in general:

“It’s crazy, the idea I’m going into the ICW hall of fame, with everything that ICW had achieved is pretty incredible. For a start I’m 32 and going into a hall of fame, that’s pretty mental. But when you break it down and put it into perspective there wasn’t any Scottish wrestling scene when I started wrestling, aged 15, 17 years ago, Mark Dallas was the first guy I met in the whole of professional wrestling. He told me he wanted to be a promoter one day, I told him I wanted to be in the WWE one day. And that was the first guy I met and we had big dreams, there was nothing and we started the scene back then. 

Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre will be inducted into the ICW Hall Of Fame later this evening. The icon of Scottish wrestling helped grow and define Insane Championship Wrestling into the phenomenon they are today.

McIntyre (known as Galloway on the independent scene) had two stints for the company, his first back in 2006 when he appeared at the company’s inaugural event and became their first ever Heavyweight Champion and his second followed his 2014 release from WWE. Drew’s run from 2014-2017 completely reignited his career and fundamentally changed the course of ICW’s already incredible success story.

Two of ICW’s biggest stars Lionheart and Wolfgang took to Twitter to congratulate the ‘Chosen One’ for his many accomplishments. Wolfgang, who is currently a member of the WWE United Kingdom roster paid special tribute to the legend, stating that “He was there my first day of training in 03 Without him laying the ground work before leaving in 07 returning in 14 to put Scotland on the world map we may never have got this far.”

https://twitter.com/LionheartUK/status/961266981797289984

Monday Scotlands true world champ @DMcIntyreWWE returns #ICW as hes rightfully inducted into t HOF
He was there my first day of training in 03 Without him laying the ground work before leaving in 07 returning in 14 to put Scotland on the world map we may never have got this far pic.twitter.com/A0o96OOutS

— Wolfgang (@WolfgangYoung) February 7, 2018

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/961299107288674304

Insane Championship Wrestling has announced that former NXT/WWE Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre will be inducted into their Hall of Fame on Monday February 12th. Following McIntyre’s initial release from WWE he found his feet in ICW and helped grow the company into arguably the biggest in Europe, helping transform the UK scene in the process.

ICW has also announced that BT Gunn will be defending his Undisputed Championship against former TNA star Bram at Square Go! on February 11th. The company has also announced that Session Moth Martina will be challenging for the ICW Women’s title against Champion Kasey Owens at the now annual event.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/959124271304990720

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/960207711894999040

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/960236395318169600

– WWE posted a video of former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre campaigning for why he deserves to win the NXT Male Competitor Of The Year award. The 2017 NXT Year-End Awards are set to be announced the same day of NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia on Royal Rumble weekend. The former Intercontinental Champion is currently sidelined with a bicep injury:

– Following Bayley and Sasha Banks’ tag team win over Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville on this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Bayley and Rose got into the following exchange on Twitter:

One win doesn’t make you something special and one loss won’t stop me. I’m not going anywhere, so consider yourself really, really lucky ?@SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE #RAW #Absolution

— Mandy (@mandysacs) January 9, 2018

ONE win? I know you’re new buuuut Sasha and I are former NXT and RAW Women’s champions. So no luck here, get used to it ? #RAW https://t.co/hTyukFJf8i

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) January 9, 2018

– As he continues to rehab his recently repaired bicep, former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre posted a clip on Twitter of himself training with former 3MB member and ex-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Check it out:

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/941478556512555013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is set to do a Facebook Q&A this Monday at 8 P.M. EST. If you’d like to be eligible for a prize pack, use the hashtag #SecondNature.

Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre will be out of action for the remainder of the year after suffering an injury at NXT Takeover: WarGames earlier this month.

McIntyre dropped the gold to Andrade “Cien” Almas at Takeover, ending his 3-month reign. The Scottish Superstar suffered what’s believed to be a torn biceps during that match. Should McIntyre require surgery to repair the tear, typical recovery time for that procedure is four to six months.

He tweeted the following on Monday afternoon, promising to return better than ever in 2018.

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/935191637671768065

McIntyre was interviewed backstage after his loss at Takeover: WarGames, which you can check out below.

Despite his arm injury, Drew McIntyre refuses to make any excuses for his loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas at TakeOver: WarGames.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vugeo9e-yD4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

As noted, Triple H revealed that Drew McIntyre suffered a torn bicep during his title loss to new WWE NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas at “Takeover: WarGames” in Houston.

Above is video of Kayla Braxton talking to Drew about the injury. Drew says he “felt something go” in his arm/bicep/elbow area and from experience he knows it wasn’t good but nothing is official until he sees a doctor. Drew says Almas gave him a helluva match and if it doesn’t turn out as he hopes it does, he’s coming back and he’s coming for the NXT Title. Drew says he has unfinished business there but right now he has to deal with the injury.

Drew is scheduled to undergo an MRI tomorrow and surgery is likely for next week if the injury is what they think it is.

As noted, tonight’s WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” event saw a surprising title change as Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Drew McIntyre to become the new NXT Champion.

Triple H revealed in his post-Takeover interview with Cathy Kelley that McIntyre may have suffered a torn bicep towards the end of the match. McIntyre will undergo a MRI tomorrow and likely undergo surgery if the injury is what they think it is.

Regarding the title change, there’s been speculation on Drew possibly returning to the main roster but that hasn’t been confirmed. Stay tuned for updates on his status.

Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Drew McIntyre to become the new WWE NXT Champion at tonight’s “Takeover: WarGames” event from the Toyota Center in Houston. The upset win saw interference from Zelina Vega several times.

This is Almas’ first title run with WWE. Drew just won the title back in August at NXT “Takeover: Brooklyn III” by defeating Bobby Roode.

Below are photos and videos from tonight’s big title change:

#NXTChampion @DMcIntyreWWE. #ElIdolo @AndradeCienWWE. Who will leave Houston with the GOLD?! #NXTTakeOver #NXTChampionship pic.twitter.com/cBDzFLLGl7

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 19, 2017

#WWENXT Champion @DMcIntyreWWE is determined to show @AndradeCienWWE exactly why he reigns supreme in @WWENXT! #NXTTakeOver #NXTChampionship pic.twitter.com/iBMTrbCZti

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2017

Tranquilo! @AndradeCienWWE #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/P0BUTgUE3U

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 19, 2017

It's all about the #NXTChampionship for the champ @DMcIntyreWWE & the challenger @AndradeCienWWE, RIGHT NOW on @WWENetwork! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/mTzQph5weM

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) November 19, 2017

#ElIdolo @AndradeCienWWE planted FACE-FIRST into the mat by @DMcIntyreWWE! #NXTTakeOver #NXTChampionship pic.twitter.com/1dsSPCGpSq

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 19, 2017

#ElIdolo @AndradeCienWWE just managed to KICK OUT OF @DMcIntyreWWE's #FutureShock! #NXTChampionship #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/LwP0If1u6b

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 19, 2017

HE'S DONE IT! The #NXTChampionship officially belongs to #ElIdolo, @AndradeCienWWE! #NXTTakeOver @Zelina_VegaWWE pic.twitter.com/SpEFJDBdNZ

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2017

.@Zelina_VegaWWE can NOT BELIEVE her eyes! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/sA4Rxr5Zre

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 19, 2017

Here is your winner…and NEWWWWWWW @WWENXT Champion @AndradeCienWWE! #NXTTakeOver @Zelina_VegaWWE pic.twitter.com/4dM2jF22Iu

— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2017

It's a NEW ERA for the #NXTChampionship! @AndradeCienWWE #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/TFnsQ2tEGI

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 19, 2017

ICW will be hosting their biggest event of the year tomorrow when they invade the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

Several stars from the WWE UK and NXT rosters have performed for Scotland’s number 1 wrestling promotion and four ICW alumni have taken to Twitter to wish the company luck for Fear & Loathing X tomorrow night…WWE UK superstar Wolfgang sent out the tweet below alongside Killian Dain, Nikki Cross and NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.

Good luck to team #ICW this weekend from some former World Champs and your #FearAndLoathing alumni

"Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride"@WolfgangYoung@KillianDain
@NikkiCrossWWE@DMcIntyreWWE all sending love from Texas to Glasgow

"Hands Across The Sea, Brothers" pic.twitter.com/o7WS9HHkr0

— Wolfgang (@WolfgangYoung) November 18, 2017

Speaking of Fear & Loathing X, here is the full card for the event:

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/928947267918352384

WWE has officially announced that they would be holding upcoming NXT television tapings in Atlanta, GA at Center Stage.

The tapings are slated to take place on January 4th as well as February 1st and February 2nd. Center Stage served as the home of WCW’s Saturday Night TV events from 1989 through 2000.

Drew McIntyre, Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Ember Moon, SAnitY, The Undisputed ERA, Johnny Gargano, Roderick Strong are all advertised for the tapings. Tickets for all three TV tapings will be available starting Friday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m. ET.

– Below is a new promo looking at the legacy of the WarGames match as we prepare for the return of the two-ring, three-team battle at WWE NXT “Takeover: WarGames” on Saturday, November 18th from the Toyota Center in Houston. The match will feature The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam, Rezar) & Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY’s Killian Dain with NXT Tag Team Champions Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe. The video features comments from Goldust, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJXhfFrrpuc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Matches announced for next week’s NXT are Ember Moon vs. Mercedes Martinez plus tag team action with The Street Profits vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss. Next week’s “Takeover: WarGames” go-home episode will also feature Andrade “Cien” Almas doing an in-ring face-off with NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.

– As noted, Takeover will feature Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan in singles action. Lars tweeted the following after the match was announced by NXT General Manager William Regal:

Thank you Mr. Regal. I can assure you Kassius will be the victim of a public dissection at Takeover. This will generate interest for future Takeover's. Everyone comes out a winner with this decision. ? https://t.co/wxUvNX1mDM

— Old Millenial (@LarsSWWE) November 9, 2017

Heath Slater recently appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:

The success of fellow 3MB members Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre:

“Those two guys are like my brothers and I love them to death and I am so happy for both of them. Jinder is doing great, Drew is doing great, they are both great and all I can say is that I am happy for them. I just need to beat up Brock to become the Universal Champion and we can all unite like Transformers and make that big 3MB comeback again but I am pretty sure that is not going to happen (laughing) so that is like words in the wind. But I am very happy for them and they are awesome dudes and hopefully they get more success.”

His free agent storyline in 2016:

“It was so much fun. I wish they would have kept it going and I just wish that somehow they would have kept it going but winning the tag titles and getting that contract was amazing. But in my mind and what I was thinking was as a free agent on Smackdown and doing all the interruptions and all this stuff it was getting steam and you could feel the energy when you walked in the building and when I would break up stuff and do all that nonsense, it was one of those things that could have gotten me sympathy. If we would have lost that night and if I showed up to RAW the following week and did the same thing on RAW to try and get an opportunity again and to keep it going but they just wanted to end the storyline I guess. It was amazing winning the titles and it was Rhyno’s first time ever winning the tag team titles and was cool because he tagged with guys like Tajiri and Stone Cold Steve Austin and never got the titles and here comes Heath Slater and we win the titles. The story was good, the people were good and it was a lot of fun.”

If he tried to work elsewhere during that time:

“I tried. I tried to do that. I wanted to wrestle in EVOLVE and work with Drew and I wanted to do stuff like that. Guys that I know and worked before that won’t act a fool and go AWOL and be out for themselves, lets have a good match and let people believe this storyline that I am doing and I pitched it but they turned that down real quick.”

You can listen to the entire interview here.

WWE NXT Champion Drew McIntyre recently did an interview with The Post and Courier to talk about his return to WWE and how much he has been thriving in NXT. McIntyre discussed differences in WWE after he returned to the company, what lessons he learned outside of WWE, and his claim that NXT is the WWE’s number one show. You can check out the highlights here below:

Differences in WWE since returning to the company:

“The last time I had an opportunity to be in NXT was in its infant stages. I had been a part of Raw and Smackdown for a few years, so I really didn’t know anybody. This time around, after having been gone for around three years, it was a surprise at NXT Takeover: Orlando. Once I headed back to the locker room afterwards, I knew legitimately 80 percent of the locker room, as well as knowing everybody who works backstage with the camera crew, the producers, etc. I saw so many familiar faces … it felt like I had never been gone.”

Lessons he learned while away from WWE:

“When you’re by yourself and not with WWE, you are your own business. And I was very successful in that business because of all the lessons I learned. I truly learned how to be a top brand myself and be what I needed to be. When the time was right and I wasn’t under contract anywhere, I spoke to Triple H on the phone. It was the right time to come home, and I was the right guy. I got the opportunity, and now I’ve got the ball and I’m going to run with it as far as I can.”

NXT being WWE’s top show:

“My job is to get NXT recognized as that third brand, not just as developmental. And since I’ve been back I’ve noticed the difference that people are starting to refer to it that way. It obviously doesn’t have the platform that RAW or SmackDown does, but I believe it’s the No. 1 show. We’re so competitive and passionate when it comes to our shows.

“I hope everyone’s keeping an eye on us. We are the No. 1 show for a reason. Everyone on the show has earned that spot. There are 150 people down at NXT. So if you’re on the show, wherever it may be, they’ve earned that spot and are giving a WrestleMania performance every time they’re in the ring.”

You can check out McIntyre’s full interview with The Post and Courier at this link here.

On Thursday’s episode of The Taz Show, former ECW Champion Taz expressed his frustration with NXT’s booking and more specifically, the booking of NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.

Taz said he enjoyed the lengthy video package on Asuka that opened the show, but felt that it ate up a lot of time on the one-hour show and more focus should be put on Drew McIntyre. He thinks they’ve dropped the ball in building the new NXT Champion, despite being a fan of McIntyre’s in-ring work.

Taz pointed out how Wolfgang mentioned that he was trained by McIntyre, which would have been the perfect opportunity to have McIntyre do guest commentary for the UK Championship match. Wolfgang was viciously attacked by the Undisputed Era in the closing segment of the show, but McIntyre was nowhere to be found.

Had McIntyre been on commentary for the match, he could have gotten television time, helped put over Pete Dunne and had a confrontation with Adam Cole to close the show.

It’s a pretty good point that would have reinforced McIntyre’s mentorship of Wolfgang and advanced his feud with Adam Cole.

You can listen to Taz’s thoughts on Drew McIntyre and NXT over at Play.it.

NXT Champion Drew McIntyre recently spoke with The Whig to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:

Winning the NXT Title at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III:

“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 friendship with 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.”

You can read the entire interview here.

WWE NXT Superstar Drew McIntyre recently did an interview with ESPN to promote tonight’s (Sat. August 19, 2017) NXT TakeOver III: Brooklyn. McIntyre discussed he and Jinder Mahal being released from WWE back in 2014 and how “The Maharaja” almost left the wrestling business, as well as who he has left that he’d like to wrestle against in NXT. Here are the highlights:

Jinder Mahal almost leaving the wrestling industry:

“Jinder and I took different paths. I jumped straight into it, had a very clear mission and very clear goals for what I was going to do. He was still wrestling but, you know, he kinda drifted away from it. He wasn’t training so much, he wasn’t wrestling so much and we met up. I remember one time, got some dinner. And the way he was talking, it was almost like he was ready to wind up. He was very smart with his money. Very smart business man when it comes to real estate. And like, he was gonna start a Subway franchise, so I assumed he’d be finished with the job, which was a big upsetting.

“Then he started training a bit harder. He was talking about it, he just kept busting his a– and he started cutting out all of the negative parts of his life. The drinking was gone. He was very focused. He was going to give it everything he absolutely had. And then to watch his transformation, just body wise. Then improving in the ring, and again, he just grew into a man. I was there the night he won the title. I’m very, very proud of everything he has achieved.”

Who he still wants to wrestle in NXT:

“I hate singling people out because it’s literally everybody. You see guys like Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly coming into the company, which is awesome. Oney Lorcan, who I [already faced], you know I love that physical style. There’s a bunch of us that have that physical style, which makes NXT so unique. Killian Dain and I had a chance to tango before, and we’re going to do it again.

“I’ve been in companies where I’m like, ‘Oh, god, I hope it’s only this guy or this guy.’ But it’s literally, an entire roster of people. Roderick Strong, we’ve had some of my favorite battles. Aleister Black, we’ve battled in the past, across the world. I’ve enjoyed his build, to watch his evolution as well. We’re doing our thing separately, just building up, and hopefully when we come together, it won’t just be the good matches we’ve had, we’ll have great matches. Basically, I’m just going to sum it up by saying this is why I love NXT. Our whole roster is so damn talented, I want to fight them all.”

Check out McIntyre’s full interview with ESPN by visiting this link.

Drew McIntyre recently spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News to promote this Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III special on the WWE Network. McIntyre is scheduled to challenge Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at the upcoming event. Here are the highlights:

Headlining NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III:

“This is what, pretty much, my entire career has led to,” McIntyre recently told  Sporting News. “So, no pressure. The 17 years, the 10 years of being in America, the past three years of building my brand and my return back home. It’s the biggest match of my life and I can say 100 percent I am ready for this. I’m excited to steal the show and have people talking about this match for a long time. I’m ready to bring something special and, as I’ve said before, we have a silent competition with ‘SummerSlam’ the next night and competition is very healthy for everybody. We’re looking to put on a show that will have people talking.”

WWE calling him the “Chosen One” during his first stint with the company:

“He [Vince McMahon] saw something in me when I was younger that I didn’t necessarily see myself and maybe others didn’t see which is a pretty cool feeling,” said McIntyre. “And finally, years later, after all the things I’ve been through and growing up, I think, finally, now it’s starting to materialize and everyone is starting to see what he saw back in the day. He had that kind of faith in me and saw something in me that he was willing to endorse me in that way and perhaps it just took a minute and took a few life experiences to actually bring out what he saw.”

You can read the entire interview here.

WWE NXT Superstar Drew McIntyre recently made an appearance on former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac 12360, and talked about a variety of professional wrestling topics. McIntyre touched on NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III possibly topping SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship win, and dubbing himself the ‘John Cena of NXT.’ You can see what he had to say here below:

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III possibly toping SummerSlam:

“NXT TakeOver, is only four times a year, they’re always a spectacle, everyone busts their ass. And we’ve got like a silent competition, I’ll say it. SummerSlam is the next day. …We wanna top SummerSlam. We’re gonna top SummerSlam.”

Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Championship:

“I was there that night in Chicago. The pre-show for NXT the night before, I stayed for the PPV the next day. I didn’t want to know the results, and I told both of them [Jinder Mahal] and Randy [Orton] don’t tell me, I’ll watch from the crowd. And when he won, most of the NXT roster were heading to the bus, and I sprinted off like the Ultimate Warrior, straight to ‘gorilla.’ I was right there waiting for him and I busting a 3MB air guitar.”

Being the ‘John Cena of NXT’:

“Just think of me as your John Cena of NXT. If there is something going on and someone doesn’t want to do it, then I’m your guy. I’m doing this, I’m happy. It’s nothing fake, I generally do enjoy this.”

You can check out McIntyre’s full interview with X-Pac by visiting this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

James Ellworth returning to SmackDown soon

It looks like James Ellsworth will be making his return to WWE SmackDown soon. Ellsworth was suspended by SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan on July 4th. Daniel Bryan suspended Ellsworth because he would not stop interfering in Carmella’s matches. Ellsworth also took a couple of verbal shots at Daniel Bryan’s newborn daughter and Daniel Bryan didn’t take too kindly to that. Ellsworth’s suspension has now concluded and he will surely be making his return to SmackDown soon.

https://twitter.com/realellsworth/status/893320729512562688

Drew McIntyre on NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III

Triple H tweeted out the following about NXT TakeOVer: Brooklyn III that is going down at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on August 19th:

Saturday, August 19th
LIVE from the @barclayscenter and ONLY on @WWENetwork…#NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/93o9Drpdvi

— Triple H (@TripleH) August 2, 2017

Drew McIntyre will be challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at the main- event of the show. McIntyre responded to Triple H and stated that “10 years in America. 17 years working on a dream w/ many ups & downs. All roads have led to this destination”.

https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/892820674837979137

Johnny Gargano’s new theme

WWE has uploaded Johnny Gargano’s new theme entitled “Rebel Heart” on their YouTube channel and you can check it out in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TeeCpwkFU

NXT this week came from Full Sail University. The featured match was between Drew McIntyre and Killian Dain, with the winner moving on to meet Bobby Roode at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III.

There was also an important match in the women’s division last night, as Ember Moon took on Ruby Riot.

NXT
July 19th 2017
Full Sail University

1. Ruby Riot vs. Ember Moon

• Asuka resorted to under-handed, dirty tactics to beat Ember Moon in their title match, leading Moon to believe she deserves a rematch.
• Ruby Riot on the other hand, has never been given a singles match for the NXT women’s championship, so she believes she should be the next to challenge Asuka. Hence, the two met here.
• The match was fairly even, with Riot getting a couple of near-falls.
• In the end however, Ember Moon hit the Eclipse, picked up the win, and will move on to meet Asuka next month.

Winner: Ember Moon

• A backstage clip is shown of Hideo Itami confronting Kassius Ohno about having requested a match against him next week. Itami kicked a garbage can, spoke in Japanese, and left the room.

• A vignette for the “Street Profits” aired.

2. Oney Lorcan vs. Danny Burch

• These two guys beat each other up. Burch’s nose even got busted open.
• Lorcan got the tapout victory with a rolling single-leg crab. Mauro mentioned that Lorcan was trained by Lance Storm, who used the same move as a finish up until he started using the Sharpshooter.
• After the match, Burch challenged Lorcan to one more match. His offer was accepted.

Winner: Oney Lorcan via submission

3. No Way Jose vs. Cezar Bononi

• No highlights were posted for this match.
• No Way Jose picked up the win here with a pop-up punch to the face.
• This was pretty much a squash match.
• After the match, Andrade “Cien” Almas hit the ring (w/Thea Trinidad) and beat up Bononi.
• This caused No Way Jose to make the save and drive Almas out of the ring.
• Jose and Almas jawed at each other a bit as the segment ended.

Winner: No Way Jose

4. NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Killian Dain (SAnitY)

• Mauro mentioned on commentary that the reason they are being given this opportunity is because they are both undefeated.
• Dain had the early advantage in the match, using mainly power moves and clubbing blows until Drew made a comeback.
• McIntyre hit a move Mauro referred to as a “Finlay Drop” after Fit Finlay.
• Dain hit a fisherman suplex from the 2nd rope.
• McIntyre hit a double-arm DDT, which I’m pretty sure was his finisher in his previous stint with WWE. Dain kicked out at 1 however.
• Finally the end of the match came when McIntyre hit his Claymore kick, only for Dain to get right back up, then Drew hit him with another and pinned him.
• McIntyre will now meet Bobby Roode at Takeover: Brooklyn.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is the new #1 contender for NXT Championship 

Drew McIntyre faced off against Killian Dain in tonight’s NXT main-event. McIntyre emerged victorious and will no go on to face Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III next month during SummerSlam weekend. In the video below, McIntyre calls out Roode and says that his is no longer Roode’s NXT and that he is coming for his title.

Moments after becoming the #1Contender to @REALBobbyRoode's #NXTTitle, @DMcIntyreWWE wasted NO time calling out the #glorious champ! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/ExdyR2mAaI

— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2017

CM Punk cheers up pro gamer

PG Punk, a pro Street Fighter gamer made it to the finals at Evo but fell short of winning it all. He posted the following tweet about his loss:

Let everyone down I'm so disappointed in myself

— Punk (@PunkDaGod) July 17, 2017

CM Punk and his dog sent him a message via Kenny Omega’s Twitter account. In the video, Punk said “fall down once, get up twice. Fall down seven times, get up eight. See you in the finals next time”. You can check out CM Punk’s message to PG Punk (PunkDaGod) in the video below.

.@PunkDaGod A friend of mine wanted to make sure you saw this… Chin up, buddy – the best is yet to come! pic.twitter.com/e35FZDsxD2

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) July 19, 2017