Drew McIntyre has continued to assert his dominance amongst RAW’s top Superstars ever since his return to WWE, firmly establishing himself as a main event player for the promotion. It’s a far cry from his initial “Chosen One” run that eventually ended with him as a part of joke act, 3MB.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, McIntyre thanked two Superstars in particular for helping him to refocus and rededicate himself to wrestling, admitting that he lost himself to going out and partying. Those two Superstars are Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels.
“I don’t know why, but Kurt chose to work with me for one of his final matches in TNA, but he made me look like a million bucks,” said McIntyre. “Then, a few years later in WWE, he made me look like an absolute killer. I humiliated Kurt and made him tap out to his own ankle lock. I can never thank Kurt enough for what he has done and continues to do for me.”
Earning A PhD In Wrestling
When McIntyre returned to WWE in 2017, his contract did not state that he needed to perform extra NXT shows or attend the mandatory skills classes at the WWE Performance Center like other NXT talent. But he did so, regardless, in an effort to further hone his craft and improve as a Superstar.
Shawn Michaels was more than happy to help him with his journey.
“I wanted to be there and I wanted to improve,” said McIntyre. “So I went to Shawn and asked if I could join his class. I would have done anything to get that one-on-one time with him.”
He confessed that “The first rule of Shawn’s class is that you don’t talk about Shawn’s class. But what I can tell you is it is an environment where everyone pushes each other very hard and you do receive honest criticism. No one has the mind that Shawn does in the ring. I looked at that period of time as getting my PhD in wrestling.”
Championship Opportunity
This commitment has seen him rise through RAW’s rankings. McIntyre is one of the competitors fighting for a championship opportunity this Sunday at Money In The Bank during the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
“I’ve never had a world title shot, ever, in my WWE career, so I’m going to need to win the ‘Money in the Bank’ contract to take that opportunity,” said McIntyre. “In order to spread my message of eradicating complacency to the superstars complaining on social media, I need to become champion.”
Money In The Bank takes place this Sunday, June 19th from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
