RAWTALK - Drew McIntyre Opens Up About Getting FIRED From WWE & Making His Comeback

Episode Date: October 13, 2026

On This Episode of RawTalk, Drew McIntyre sits down to discuss his journey from growing up in Scotland with a dream of becoming a WWE superstar to becoming a world champion. Drew opens up about getting fired from WWE in 2014, rebuilding his career, overcoming personal struggles, and transforming himself into one of wrestling’s biggest stars. He also talks about winning the WWE Championship during the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolution of WWE under Triple H, and how discipline, self-belief, and hard work helped him turn his dreams into reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In communities across Canada, hourly Amazon employees can grow their skills and their paycheck by enrolling in free skills training programs for in-demand fields. Learn more at aboutamazon.ca. So you say you're going to go to WWE, that American thing, like, sure, I'm going to fly to the moon without a space show. Is it running? Oh, we're running. We're running. Okay, yeah, okay, we're live now.

All right, cool. Bring these swears at my system. You already got like, yeah, we're going to be covered so much already. dude it's a pleasure to have you drew thank you so much for coming um have you done a lot of podcasts ever yeah just in general oh yeah yeah i know you work a lot uh yeah i've been um with wwee specifically i signed in 2007 yeah so almost 20 years ago um i've been wrestling since i was 15 and i was doing whatever version of podcast prior i guess it'd be radio spots so what i done before that and then says it came to america wdb the giant machine that it is

I've been doing. Literally every form of media you can possibly imagine. And with an accent like this, this is me. 20 years of work that was well-spoken Scotsman in the world when I first started. I wonder what it was like when you first started. You can find it online. I found like a news report for Scottish television when I first signed with WWE. It was the first ever Scotsman signed to WWE. I did the national news. I watched it back a couple of years ago and I did not understand a word I was saying. I can see myself sitting there going, no name, name, name, name. And I just made a joke and I laughed at my own joke. And I don't know what. what I said. Yeah, I'm not going to lie. When you were out front, I was like, oh, you got a

suit on. You're like fancy. And you said something about your wife wanting you to wear it. Yeah. I didn't know what you said at first. And I had to think about it. Once I see a red light, we've got that red light over there. Then I can have turn the accent on. The amount of times, like Triple H will say to me, like, Drew here, like the marble mouth. I remember you give me the microphone every week to talk on TV. When I have to talk, I can turn it on and I turn it back off. You like slow it down a little bit. Yeah, yeah. Scott's fast. And then say it the words, because yeah, we have the thickest accent. in the world and we speak at 100 miles an hour.

But the English don't understand what we're saying. Well, you said you've been wrestling for like forever, but since you were a kid, you were obsessed with it. You said right before we got on. What got you obsessed with it? Just watching it? Yeah, I was at my older cousin's house when I was about five or six. I'm there.

I've got much older than myself. My brother, I got a brother that's a year younger. He was there as well. And cousins are like 10 years, 15 years and 20 years older. And they were watching the wrestling. And we were kind of watching it from the background behind the sofa. like it was kind of forbidden to watch. It was more taboo back in the day.

Yeah, I mean, this is where kids, it was just like, nobody told us it's okay to watch, but we've been told we can't watch certain things that were on TV at the time. Like, you know, the adults would watch a movie, like, hey, you can't watch this. We weren't sure if we could watch the wrestlers. We're peering in, hiding behind the sofa,

and I was just so captivated by the larger-than-life characters on the screen. I was like, I'm going to do that. I've told this story a few times, but I did hold a family meeting when I was about five, six years old. Where I said, I'm going to be wrestler. One day, I'm going to be in that WWE.

And kids obviously say the darndest things. You know, you're going to be a professional athlete, astronaut, ride a dinosaur professionally one day. But I stuck and never deviated from the plan. Like, I'm going to do this. But that's, I mean, that's the truth is like, that's how it happens, right? That's just like how in life, if you're going to create something or be something or do something, it has to start with something delusional.

Oh, yeah. It can take a while. I'm very lucky it happened when it was young. But you find a thing that that's what I'm going to do. Sometimes it takes people a little bit longer and they find that thing. And then they're like, okay, is zone in on it. they give it everything and they succeed or they don't succeed, but as long as you give it, you're all.

I knew from the moment I saw it, I have to give it my own. I'm aware of this as an American thing, even as a young age, I have to gather information. I got to start building my body. I sent away to America for the inside secrets of wrestling, volume one and volume two when I was 10 years old.

And I'd read those things cover to cover, the secret backstage words, how you put the matches together. Like, you got to keep the secrets if you're in the business. That word is called Kfei. Yeah. That's like keeping the secrets, but it wasn't written phonetically.

So I'd go to school. Everyone was talking like it was real, like it was UFC or boxing whatever. And I'd play along in my head. I was thinking, I'm keeping Kafabi right now. And you say, confabhi? I wasn't written phonetically. I didn't know how to say it. But I knew all the inside stories and whatever.

And I'd tell my mom, I got to go to wrestling school. And she kept saying, no, you're too young. When I was 15, I really pushed it. And there was two wrestling schools in the UK in Portsmouth, England and Kent, England, which is as far as you can go, basically, without falling off the end of England. Yeah, from Air Scotland. when I was 15 she finally agreed I could go to one it was a 12 hour journey there

a 12 hour journey back and I'll go back and forth as often as I could afford as often as my mom and Nana would give me the money and learn how to wrestle until we started a wrestling school and wrestling company in Scotland when I was 16 and started on regular shows when I was 16 what's the hardest part of wrestling when you start

everything I thought I was just going to walk into the school and then just here it's the next stone called Steve Austin everybody he's here for the future's here and I was like I could do it on the move I could do Tim stones and syplexes. And when I started hitting the ropes and kind of like it wasn't as easy as I thought to hurt, hitting the corner, black and blue all of my back and my ribs and taking the falls for the first time.

And you're like, God, I thought the ring would be a little bit softer than this and learning to tuck your chin. Like if you do jihitsu or jud or whatever, when you're coming down on the mats and learning how to take the falls. You got to keep the chin. Talk, do you rattle your head? You get headaches initially. Yeah, I have friends who've gone and they've done the tryouts.

And they're like, this is not at all what I thought. No, it's very, very physical. Like 10 times harder. But then also it's so like, not theatrical in the way that like, you know, it's a play or something, but I guess when the people were describing it to me, they're like, I didn't realize it was going to have to like

have a character, create a character. Oh, that's the biggest part. It's how once you learn the moves, you got to get the basics down, but how are you going to connect emotionally with the fans? Because if you go out there and 20,000 people just sit in their hands, that's a problem. Yeah.

figure out who you are how you're going to relate to everybody out there how are you going to make an emotional connection with the crowd to make them care about you and make them forget what they think you know it's one thing the kids are going to be into it yeah maybe the ladies are excited to see some dudes in their underpants i don't know but some of the guys who preconceptions are with their family they paid a lot of money and they're sitting there as like how are you going to hook everybody yeah once you figure out that character in your style you want everybody to get involved and i've always been all about getting every single person in that building either cheering me or booing me but the next day I want those dads at the water cooler saying hey whatever you think about

that wrestle when that drew mackinty was in there he was kicking the crap out with that guy yeah marks all over the other guy because my philosophy is you're two grown men you could take a hit it's live tv shut out take that's how it should be yeah don't break my nose but just lay it in yeah so so like when you did like because at one point you were what they call the chosen one right yeah now you are he literally went on tv yes this is the chosen one yeah and so in 24th you're you're out of it like was that a plan or was that oh no no no I got fired there was no it was like a cool storyline like hey got this idea we'll pretend you're fired no I got a phone call and said hey you're fired in 2014 so the dream job I'd get signed in 2007 I was on TV

three weeks after I got to America it was such a whirlwind I was a chosen one I was the guy saving the girls from the tracks going to be the the top dog and things went terrible professionally and personally a lot of stuff was going on in my life and I ended up the comic relief on the show and then um you know a lot was going on with the company a lot of money was been lost in the wb network and they made some massive cuts and i was part of um those cuts and uh yeah i was out the job i was just moved into my first apartment with the girlfriend who's now the wife yeah three days prior uh before i got fired which is cool time in life did you did you think that was the end i had to have a conversation with myself and i've done like a lot of a lot of looking back

at this, wrote a book, My Chosen Destiny, available now. And I went through it with her, but threw it with a lot of people, what was going on in my mind at the time. And it was, oh, no, this is all I've known. all I wanted, do I have to get a regular job now, is to dream

over. And it was only a day I really thought about it. I was like, no, screw this. I know this is what I know, and I believe I can do it better than anybody. I'm going to hit the ground running. Social media was starting to really take off 2014. It was getting big. there's multiple companies around the world outside WWE.

They're getting some buzz. I'm going to create the character I want to be. I believe is marketable. And I'm going to take it around all these companies, present it on social media how I want to present it. I'm going to show everybody. And that was the game plan. And thankfully, you know, it worked out.

So when you came back, were you more of a heel, I guess they would call it? You're more of a villain? Because when you first started, you were more of a hero, yeah? When I was younger, more of a hero, but since I came to America, I was always the bad guy. from that first run in WWU from 07 to 14. Yeah. Foreign guy, you know, kind of older mindset if you're foreign, you've got to be a bad guy.

Yeah, yeah, that's valid. Evil Scotsman. And when I was younger, I didn't look like this. It wasn't as big. I kind of looked like one of those Abercrombie and Fitch guys. I was younger. I did that when I was 18. I used to stand, I swear to God, bro.

I'm not kidding. I stood in front of a store during like Christmas season and I had a big jacket on. I had my abs out. People took pictures with me. Oh, wow. You did it for real. I just looked at one of the guys if you actually did it. Bro, I actually did it.

Like, I swear to you, I was in, I remember first year of college, Sacramento, like some mall up there, like one of the funniest moments of my life, to be honest, because people would just come by and be like, almost like look at me like I wasn't real. Like I was just standing there, like a statue. And then they would come and be like, can we take a picture? Oh, that's good. It was weird. At least it keeps accountable for working out.

You've got to keep the abs. Yeah, yeah. And I also learn how to fold clothes like in a square. Wow. Stupid things. Things you don't need to be there. I get crap from the messes all the time. I can't fold a thing.

bloody useless no i'm not i'm not i'm not folding shit now no no thank you yeah i've not you've come yeah yeah yeah yeah fuck the folding yeah i just looked at one of those guys yeah so i played the arrogant kind of character when i was younger for that first run yeah and then was outside the company that's when i kind of tried out being the good guy and basically just try to find myself because the best characters are just you with a volume turned way up not playing a character being the character all right guys cook and rush for the podcast quince dot com or you guys can go and download the quince app to get a ton of exclusive offers but listen i know i haven't updated this coffee table yet i've been saying i'm going to i actually legitimately need to i think i mean it works

but i kind of want to change the style of the aesthetic a little bit and if you're looking to change any room in your house doesn't matter what it is they have everything high quality stuff for great prices check it out you guys can download the app there's a bunch of exclusive offers in there when you go there and you when you're going to check out make sure you mention raw talk on the way out support the show but yeah if you're looking to change colors of your your bad sheets or you're trying to get like some nice new towels or you want to get a new coffee table or a new couch. They literally have everything you could think of. The cool thing about Quince is that you can basically get something and return it within 365 days of buying it. So let's say you get it and you're

like, you know what, I don't like it. I want to send it back. I want to get something different, whatever. They allow that, which is huge. I mean, a lot of times you get something and sort of sales are final. Things are final. But you can literally buy anything and be like, I want to return this. And within 365 days, which is massive. So if you guys want to check it out, the easiest way to do it is on the app on your phone. You could see, you know, their whole catalog. You could also go online, quince.com and when you guys check out make sure you mention where you found it from raw talk to support the show i love you guys let's get back into this podcast with drew yeah so how does that work like because from all the people that i've talked to in the w e it's they they obviously there's a

you know there's a storyline how much of it do you have like direction and like you deciding where not doesn't not necessarily like the matches you get because i i know that's probably like from the whole like overarching thing but the way you're you're not you're not necessarily like the whole like overarching thing but you show up like how much like you talk about the character you create as far as you know how the fans react to you and how they're attracted to you or how they're related related to you how do you create that with them kind of like in the background kind of still you know you have to be this you have to show up like that these days is very much a collaboration and has been for a few years now with myself personally anyway and generally across the board if you know your character you can work with the

you know the writers etc and get yourself get the character into the story But it's very important to me to make sure the creative matches what I've got good on in my head. Like the writers, the creative team, Triple H leading the creative team, they kind of set out. Here's the story. Here's what we're thinking. Here's who we're thinking you're going to work with. And this is where we'd like to get to. Then it goes week to week.

But how we get there, that's kind of a collaboration. Like when I go out there and I've got an interview on the microphone, I'm not getting handed a piece of paper that says, here's what you're saying. Here's all the word you're saying because that's what Drew McIntyre would say. Because my response, which I've said in real life, says, no, he wouldn't. I was like, what do you mean? I'm Drew McIntyre. I know what I would say.

So we have to go back and forth about what we want in the paper, where we're going next and make sure it's in line with what's in my head. Because if I don't believe it, sure is how the fans are not going to believe it. They can see in your eyes even if they don't know or they can articulate it. Subconsciously, they're like, you feel it. I don't believe this. And I have to believe it so they believe it. So we very much work together every step of the way to create, you know,

the storylines of where we're going and make sure we're getting the right emotional reaction. Then on top of that, you're in front of a live crowd. sometimes they don't react to the stuff on the paper. And I'm very much the big ad libber. And it sometimes gets me a big slap on the wrist when I get to the back or a high five, like good move out there. It's one thing with Triple H is waiting for him when he's angry. But if he's happy, it's a very good feeling.

But when I'm out there, if 20,000 people aren't digging what I'm saying, I'll listen and I'll take a different direction. And sometimes it's the opposite of what we talked about because it didn't feel right out there. Yeah. I'll see what's happening. The crowd react the right way. They're giving you real-time feedback. It's not like acting or whatever where there's no sound.

or whatever telling you you're doing it right. It's like, you're doing it wrong because they're not reacting. So I'll go a different route, I'll get back, we'll talk about it. That night changed the following weeks creative. Such a difficult job because you're like, it's so physical. Obviously, yeah, you got a lot of action soap opera. It's fucking crazy. It's crazy though, man.

The most fun I ever had was at the WrestleMania, like at a live event ever. The fans are the best. Like, and being in the crowd, I tell my mates all the time. Like back in Scotland, sometimes, you know, they weren't always the biggest. wrestling fans or whatever and like you gotta give it a try life trust me go live to the life show you'll find yourself caught up and you'd be chanting along you wouldn't even know what just happened what just happened i just found myself chanting along with everybody because the fans are just so

awesome and passionate like european soccer fans yeah i've never been to another event where like when when someone was actively wrestling the whole crowd is there you know like sometimes people go to the bathroom they go get you know drinks or whatever concession stuff it's just like everyone's so locked in. That's like the crazy, like the energy was insane. It's the best feeling, but I've also been there when I was younger where the energy is not there and it's a terrible feeling when I hadn't quite found the character yet. Like when I first started with the chosen one thing, my first pay-per-view match, we call them PLEs now, was right after a John Cena versus Randy Orton, hell in a cell match. That's at the cage with the roof. Yeah. The peak of the blood feud. Like this was

the end of their big story that dominated the company for a very long time. So they had the match. It's phenomenal. The crowd lost their minds. And then I was out right after it from my very first paper view match. Oh my God. I was the first entrance of my music hit. No one really knows who I am.

And I'm like, hey, everybody. Bucking out. You can swear you could have dropped a pin. They're like, yeah. How do you follow that up? All right. You don't. It's just kind of like,

getting thrown into the fire and just seeing how you, how you react. That's fucking crazy after those two. So I've known what it's like when there's no noise. And I know what it's like when they're loud as hell.

You also did, didn't you get your, your champion, ship like during COVID. Oh yeah, yeah. I beat Brock Lesnar in like four minutes in front of exactly two commentators, two cameraman.

Yeah, that's... Paul Heyman. Yeah, like five, six people. That had to be a weird moment because I feel like if I'm thinking about wrestling and I'm wrestling my whole life, I'm thinking about the moment that I get the championship,

the crowd's going nuts. Made in WrestleMania, sold out stadium. Yeah. The way I dreamed of as a kid as well, which was going to happen. I won the Royal Rumble in January in front of 40,000 people in Houston, Texas. unbelievable reaction,

and eliminated Brock and then eliminated Roman at the end. Finally, the dream been fired all the ups and downs. I'm going to go to mania. It's in Tampa, Florida, where I'd live for 13 years at the time. My family were all coming.

Hometown. Raymond James Stadium sold out. Here we go, main event against Brock Lesnar. Can't go any better. And I don't know if it's because I won, this happened, the world shuts down. It was my fault.

The world couldn't take us. Oh, God, Drew's finally got things on track. The world's got to shut down. Yeah. And then it ended up in front of literally nobody. But we were the only, entertainment at the time, the only original entertainment, sports shut down, and entertainment shut down, live TV, everything shut down,

except us. And we knew we had that responsibility. We put WrestleMania over two days instead of one day that weekend, so everybody at home. And no matter what we think now, what we know now, people were scared back then. We'd so many unanswered questions. And I'm terrified, actually. I talked to a lot of people online at the time, people all across the world. And I was like, okay, this is their escape right now.

I'm going to give it my all. I know it's my moment I dreamt about. I know it's not how I pictured it. But this is going to make some people happy. Drew is finally going to do it. He's finally going to win the title. And I beat Brock. And I remember sitting in the ring with the title in my hands.

And the adrenaline wasn't like it was when I won the Royal Rumble, 40,000 people, whatever. It's that kind of moment where your adrenaline's up high. You know what it's like in sports, whatever your adrenaline's high. You're on. You're back at home. You're back in the hotel room. You calm down. You have a reflective moment.

And you kind of think about your performance. I've won many titles. I had many moments where the adrenaline's going. You're back in the room. You have that moment. The world got. to see that moment because I didn't have the adrenaline flying. I looked at the title.

I had that personal montage in my head that you get when the adrenaline comes down, thinking about all the people that helped get me to that moment, all the family, the friends, everybody that sacrificed to get me to that moment. And we never break the fourth wall or never did endure that time. And there was nobody there. So I wanted to reach everybody. I looked down on the camera like I'm doing right now. And I reached out and basically said, thank you.

Thank you for getting me. This is our moment. And it wasn't ideal, but it was ideal for the time. And I don't regret it at all, even though it will never be. played in the montage and highlight packages yeah history will remember when we needed someone to step up by step up yeah no for sure COVID was definitely that time it's so many people just like flock completely flocked to the internet as far as like content i remember that even as a content creator in the space it was like during COVID that was when everyone as far as like views and

everything was like sky high because obviously everyone's fucking locked in their fucking house or you know couldn't go do certain things um during that time was was was was it more different difficult to like go out and do your job like meaning like did did you have to I don't know follow certain rules or certain things that they because like here was like I had a gym open and I was you know I'm getting sued by the fucking state California state like so many different charges over such a long period of time like did they have things that were stopping you from doing your job like did you guys have to do like the mass thing like how was that initially it was very straight where we're having to get the you remember the original nose test where they shoved it into

your brain. Yeah. Like once a week and then backstage, if you're not directly in the segment, you had to wear the mask, etc. So it was a lot of protocols we had to follow during that time, which was bizarre. It was very quiet back there. And the idea that you're walking out there and there's nobody there and it's silence, especially, we eventually moved into the arena, the Thunderdome with all the screens

and people on it. But initially, it was just the warehouse and know people there. And you had to remind yourself, there's millions of people watching at home, remember? Yeah. You're the WWE champion about to go and perform and do your interview. There's no live crowd, which is a great, I guess,

training ground for what I've been doing recently with all the movies and stuff. You're literally walking out there and trying to find that emotion and connect with people at home as opposed to connect with that live audience as well as people at home. Yeah. It has to be easier when it's live because you get the feedback. Adrenal is just flying. And that's what the funnest thing about it. You go out there and that's what I miss.

I've been out six months now. It's the longest I've ever not wrestled in my life. like I've poured my bias and brought my air and all sorts I've never been out for six months I've been very busy but I just missed the live crowd so much wasn't going me but I enjoy enjoy getting food I want to I want to talk about that directly as far as like why you've been out for now but um I want to I have a question specifically about the WWE because you've experienced so many years of it how has it changed obviously besides social media how has it changed from Vince McMahon to triple H being like sort of the the leader what's the biggest change I mean there's a few changes for sure

I mean Vince obviously created the monster that is WWE yeah hell yeah gave me every opportunity that I ever got including you know being the champion representing during most difficult period in history with COVID he kind of saw things a little different that very much like kind of black and white a good guy bad guy keep things a little bit simpler

and so you can shoot him for the first time and you understand exactly what's going on you know Hunter's a bit more kind of live and shade of grey which that's the real world and 52 weeks a year you can develop deeper layered story deeper layered characters especially if you know the character and we had a big storyline involved in a group called the bloodline that Romans kind of the head of the head of the table head of the group but they really went into the into the story into the characters and it really worked on the show and i watched it like yes yes because i know this is something i can do i just need

the opportunity to be able to show what i'm capable of as a performer because i know my character inside out 50 writers in a room can write the show but they're thinking about everybody i'm I'm just thinking about me. I can't wait to get the chance to show this. And in 2022, we really started going from Drew the big hero of COVID, the Scottish warrior, to going down the path of becoming a bad guy, but not really a bad guy, just the fans were looking for something different. And I'm like, hey, I'm your guy.

I'm fighting. I've not lied. Still to this day, I haven't lied. Like, I still see myself as the good guy. I've never done anything wrong. I never changed. The fans just changed. And it's been this very fun character arc we've been on for the past four years because

Triple H is very open to making it like real life. And just living in Sheds Agree when it's time for Shades of Green. So you think Vince was more just like strict on like he wants it like this? Yeah, yeah. He looked like very specific way he saw things like keep it like don't talk about things that happened a month ago, two months ago. Not certainly not years ago. Let's live in the now.

And Hunter is very open to, hey, if it makes sense for the story, bring it whatever helps that you can use everything. How different would you say you are like, actual Drew from WWE Drew. How far off? I find the truth and everything. And if I'm annoyed about something and you're like,

wow, he seems really like, you know, like he's really annoyed about that. I'm probably actually annoyed about it, but at least a little bit. Because everything I do, I have to find the truth in it. If I don't believe it,

like then I'm wasting my time as far as I'm concerned out there. So then how do you make the transition to like straight up acting? Because acting is like, I mean, obviously I guess it depends on the roles you pick, right? Because it's straight up. things like really make believe. Yeah, but again, I've found the lessons I learned to WWB

and I have worked with an acting coach for six years now and kind of got some some nice emotions in my tool belt that can pull out at any time and learn some techniques how to do that. But also I've lived a life with a lot of ups and downs and I have a lot. I can pull from real emotion. But even in the acting roles,

I look for what's real in there to me, even if on the page, like, Drew, that's not you. That's nothing to do with you is I will find something or even if it's not what's on the page or what's on the screen, there'll be something going on in my head that's completely ridiculous and unrelated that I'm finding what I need to project onto the screen. And if people could see in my head sometimes, what I'm using to get, you know, be it anger, be it some of the stuff I've done

recently, vulnerability with tears, et cetera. They would be like, you're a cycle, you need committed. Like, why is that going on to your head right now? Because that's what's real. That's what's going to get what I need, what's written there. What are those things, though? Like, what is the most vulnerable thing? I mean, I won't give you the stuff that'll get me committed. stuff that I've used a lot in the past few months to get certain certain emotional states. Nate, can you please turn off the Discord? Sorry, I apologize.

Oh, no, no. But yeah, like, I'll give you one thing. This is kind of an easier one. Like, on a, like, Highlander, there's a certain moment. I won't give anything away. But, like, I'm playing Angus, Henry Cavill's brother. He plays Connor McLeod, the head chieftain of the clan, where I have a moment where I'm scared and up.

I'm going to have to have like a real long which is like six seconds, might as well feel like six minutes on camera, go through a range of emotions which results in fear and being very upset at the end of it. From anger at the very beginning. I was all right, how am I going to get there? Anger that comes naturally to me. Everything annoys me. But where am I going to get this journey and my cat, unfortunately,

that had had for the 13 years of wife and I had had, Chas for, was very sick. And we had to put them down right before this happened. And I remember just the process of having the people come to the house, thinking it'd be easier. It wasn't easier. How scared he looked. How my wife reacted, how I reacted.

Horrible process. Like it burned in my brain. So that's what I was kind of working with. Yeah. That was a simpler one to use. But there was also different situations, different scenes where I had to go back to my past of a kid. Didn't have to, but I felt like this is going to get what I need here.

And it is completely messed up. I would definitely have me committed. If people could see in my head, but as long as whatever's going on in the eyes, you know, gets what is on the paper and what emotional area you're trying to reach or the director's trying to get you to reach,

that's all the matters. And it's a fun game. And it really pushes you emotionally. It's like a workout. Like instead of like the muscles hurting, sometimes after certain scenes. One, I remember the first scene I had with Russell Crow, I was really trying to get to a certain place.

Once we got finished, I feel like 40 minutes or something, I had to sit down and I was like, man, I'm emotionally trained. That's wild. Yeah. Yeah. What's it like working with people like that? Because these guys are like legends in acting.

Like Russell Crow is a fucking gladiator. I mean, some of my favorite movies. Yeah. Do they like give you advice? Oh yeah. Yeah. It's just surreal. Like that's the people I'm leaning on like with Highlander.

I mean, initially it was Killers game. I did a few years ago, Dave Batista, who I've known forever. He looked after me when I was a kid in WWE. He brought me into my first movie. It made me believe this is something I can do. And he played the Kyrgin and Highlander as well. Yeah. So not only was Dave there to kind of lean on.

Like Henry was awesome. some Kevin McKidd was also Scottish. He was in Great Anatomy for 20 years. It just finished. Those people right there, you know, giving me advice, been able to lean on them. And just give me a positive reinforcement more than anything. Like Henry was just like, you know, Lex, just be you. You're doing a great job.

You can tell everything's coming right from here, especially the specific scene I was talking about there. He was like, I watched that back. It's a really great job. Besides the physicality of wrestling, what's harder acting in wrestling? Because physicality, obviously, I would, it's clear that's harder. If I'm thinking like just. I mean, the physicality in the acting is tough too. And you're kind of called to, like, boom, you're sitting there.

Like, people just sitting around, they hurry up and wait rather than planes and cars, like, in wrestling. And you're just sitting on set for hours at a time. And then suddenly it's like an action sequence. And I'm the only one it felt was warming up, especially I did last Druid in Barcelona with Russell. And a lot of the guys were just sitting just hanging out chatting. And then I was like, when we up, it was like, probably an hour or two, which probably means four hours. And then I start kind of loosening up and moving around. And it's just crazy.

a lot of the guys will just get up and start swinging swords and, you know, throwing punches and very, very physical. Surprisingly physical. So they're, they're difficult in different ways, I would say, but I definitely felt just as physically and more emotionally drained from the scenes. Like, the wrestling is very much an adrenaline jump because of so many people in the crowd. Your adrenaline is up here and afterwards it's just plummeting right down. And then after the action sequences or the acting sequences in the movies, you just feel like, who, I had a heck of a workout without the extreme dump. Yeah.

Do you do you ever have any conversations with any of your fellow actors or even people in the W or V.O. No, you're good. About aliens. Do I talk to any of the colleagues about it? I mean, not unless they bring it up.

You never bring it up? I don't think so. Mostly with my mates I've known for a way because I don't want to be a complete weird old first. They'll find that out later. But, Yeah, I mean, when I was sending away for the secrets of wrestling when I was 10 years old, I was also sending away to the FBI. I'm sure you read, another Freedom of Information Act, because I had a subscription to a magazine.

And I was reading about Ebola and, you know, conspiracy theories. And I also had like, you know, ghosts and paranormal and stuff, like lots of weird stuff in there. But I had a sample error to the FBI where you can request whatever documents you want. I went, oh, cool. And then I wrote my little letter and filled in the documents. I want any of the Roswell Project Blue Book, a bunch of stuff. UFO related and took my pocket money and sent it to the FBI. Do you still, do you still think about stuff like that? I mean, I still pay attention to it. But I realized even as a young kid,

when my dad was waiting for him when I got home one day with that document, like, why are the FB in America sending you these documents? Oh, they came, cool. And I said, go outside and play if you normal, you weird kid, I was like, give me this documents. But yeah, even as a kid, when I was like, God, a year later, two years later, 11, 12, was all right, you know, cool, this conspiracy theories for a reason. With a smoke, this fire, you find out too much, you'll off you. I'll probably focus in this wrestling thing. So I paid attention. to it, but not as obsessive. My obsession went towards the wrestling, and I paid attention to that rather than Mel Gibson and conspiracy theories.

Yeah. Do you, so if you, if you had to guess, what do you, what do you think it is? What do you think aliens are? I mean, I think it's probably the simplest explanation. We'd be very arrogant to think by the only life permanent this entire gigantic universe. Yeah. And they're just more advanced than us. I'm hoping it's not like South Park, but we're just a television show for another for another bloody planet where they're all sitting there watching

welcome to Earth where we took people from the zebra planet and the elephant planet hopefully it's not like fucking Mars attacks or some shit yeah that's great movie like I watched it again recently

and I remember being silly like even as a kid I was I think it was kind of silly and I watched it over man this is great yeah I haven't watched it for years yeah I felt the same way

because I remember watching that younger and I was like holy shot I watched it again literally like two months ago and I was like damn this is great still freaking awesome. I tried my best not to swear to you know how hard it is not to swear as a Scottish

person. It punctuate my sentences. I feel like it's in your DNA. It is. Yeah. Alcoholism and swears. You never got into anything like that like alcohol? Oh yeah, yeah, big time.

Yeah, yeah. Big effect on my firing the first time. Yeah, maybe putting the candle at both ends and setting the candle on fire during that period. So you got to drink after the show with the last and it's your off day. You got to drink and it's been like five days this week. You got to drink. It's a day.

and why. We've got to agree. Yeah, exactly. It's a very, very Scottish and Irish thing. And just so happens, best mate's Irish. So it was a bad combination. So we lived up her 20s, less saying, I had to get myself together. Like, when I was outside the company, I actually broke my neck in a match, non-displaced fracture, T2 and T3, very, very lucky. So I just had to wear the neck brace.

It was the first time I was stationary, my life. Like, I went from university, signed to W&E, straight to WWE, straight to getting fired, straight back on the road. I'd never, ever been stationary in my entire life. And I finally was sitting down, and the wife said, said you're going to crash and burn. I was what do you mean? I'm the biggest wrestle in the world.

The social media thing worked. I took everyone around the world with me. They believe now that this is what Drew was supposed to do. You're supposed to be a main event star. Like what do you mean? Well, you're out too much. A part of me, your boys back in Scotland every time you go where you go,

you're gonna crash and burn. It's not sustainable. Also, I'm gonna leave your arson. I was like, okay. I bet you think about this. And as I say, no choice but to think. And I kind of look myself in the mirror, because you can't lie to yourself.

I'm like, all right, where do you wanna be? You're doing so well right now. you want to be back in WWE. I got to fulfill the prophecy, win the titles and stuff. I've got to be back there eventually. But at the same time, like, how am I going to get there? It could be in better shape. You're not eating the way you should be working out,

but not working out the way I should have been. Who's the biggest attraction in the world? Brock Lesnar. If I walked in front of them, is that believable right now? No. No, no, you've got to start working out harder. Who's the best at the microphone? Paul Heyman.

He's with Brock Lesner. Okay. I got to start getting the mic on every show. So I made a plan in my head what I'm going to do, and you got to cut out drinking all the time. I cut out completely at first, but you've got to find a balance eventually. Yeah. Scottish and all that jazz.

Fair. But I started looking at the diet stuff. I started really eating just tons. And I lose weight so easily. But it's just start eating an absolute crap load after this and training my ourselves, getting a mic on every show. And the size came on so quickly. I went, I think it was about 240.

I was putting straight to like 245, 250, 250, 25. The weight was just flying on. My body just reacted instantly to the amount of food that I was putting in there. Yeah. I was back in WWW. not long after. Then I went forward, one of the old rumbo

as we talked about and I remember coming backstage and one of the guys and ricochet said, that's pretty cool. And I looked at the screen and the graphic was Drew McIntyre

versus Brock Glasner with Paul Heyman at WrestleMania because I'd just challenged Brock and I went, that's what the thing I envisioned with the broken neck. Hey, it's hasn't it? Yeah.

How did you, so how did you get there though? Like, I mean, obviously, you know how you got there, but like, I mean, mentally because you injured yourself when you were off and it's obviously

it was a shitty injury. It's a fucking neck injury. Yeah, I mean, it sounds worse than it is. Broken neck, never good. But, yeah. And non-displaced fracture. So, like, the bicep took me out for longer. I tore my bicep off the bone. That was three months. It was eight weeks with the cast from the chin, basically down to my stomach, just immobilized and got very, very lucky. Him on that one, the neck to this day, no issue. I had MRIs. A few things got on in there, but nothing anywhere close to anything important. Yeah. So got very, very lucky. What was the question?

The question is basically like, it's, I guess it's kind of like, it seems like your whole career, you sort of envision where you want it to be. Obviously, it's how you, and you're talking about being a child

saying like, this is what I'm going to do, this is what I want to be. How much throughout your career did you just fall back on, it seems like manifestation, just believing that it's a possibility. Is it just like...

A lot of the time, and I think I lost that for a period during the period where, you know, again, like a lot of personal stuff going on and my first run in WWE. My mother got sick. and inevitably passed that sent me off the freaking people.

And I'd stopped being positive. I stopped working as hard as I could. I wasn't accountable. And I wasn't manifesting anything. I was complaining about everything. Like there wasn't, hey, this is crap, but we got to,

you know, we got to start trying harder for her, if anything, if not for myself. In the end, you have to do it for yourself. Yeah. That's what it came to was that conversation in the mirror.

Even though things were going well, but I really was believing in myself during that period, even before I kind of cut out of the alcohol. and started getting myself in shape. I was back to, yeah, I know I can do this. I know this is what I know. I know I can be the man in this, and it really was happening.

And then it was, okay, I know I can get, making great shape. I know I can get really good on the microphone, learn to you non-see. I know I'm pretty quick in real life. I just have to learn how to find my voice in wrestling, which I did and inevitably became part of my game as one of the biggest crap talkers on screen

and on the internet, etc. And it really is a lot to do with, yeah, the manifestation, like you say, believing in yourself, seeing it before it happens and I know it's true because I've done it so many times in my life just saw it in my head that it happens I'm like wow that's the thing I was thinking about and it's happened again weird that if you just believe in yourself and put in the work the actual work not just say you're putting the work like leaving no stone unturned and at the end of the day looking in the

mirror and going did you do it you can lie in social media you can lie to your mates you can't lie to yourself and if you truly put the work in you can do freaking everything is there anything you you you haven't done that you thought you should have been able to do it before at this point? Not really. I mean all the accolades I've pulled off I mean sometimes there's disagreements when it comes to the creative and how you see things going but I don't make those decisions so you can only control the controllable you've got to accept that in life sometimes but no and there's things that happen I didn't even see happening but the movie stuff like a lot of our guys like do auditions and that's kind of something

maybe they want to do in the future I never really thought about it I didn't think of it at all I'm going to wrestle or wrestle forever and Dave as I say called me I did the one movie and then And I got in a conversation with Chad that directed the Hallander movies and did the John Wick movie. I was at his office. I try and pronounce a surname about butcher. Sorry, Chad. It's fine.

He's a badass. He didn't just direct the John Wick movies. He was also Keanu Reeves' like stunt double, martial art double in the Matrix movies. And he's evolved one of the biggest, most amazing directors in the world. But was at his office chatting away. My agent told me you'll probably been there 15 minutes, like two hours later. We're just chatting it up. Such a cool guy.

And he was like, so you want to play Angus? Yes, I do. That's how that happens. And then I met Russell and a Highlander. I was just watching himself and Henry do a key scene and just try to learn. I wasn't there that day. I was supposed to be on set. I just wanted to come in and watch some of the bastards at it. I was, wow, this is cool. And then the next day, like Russell was having like a leaving party and someone said, do you want to go to Russell Crow's leaving party? I was like, no. It's just something like I would want to do. Yes, of course. I want to go to his leaving part, idiot. They took me along and then Henry was there. And he's, like, as I say, he's a guy. He was awesome. He was like, I don't have you met Russell. I was like, no, I had a couple of guineasas by this point.

I was like, I'm going to sit beside and he sits me right beside I'm under the learning tree and I just sat there, listening to him, great storyteller, his missus as well,

awesome person. And yeah, I just got to spend some time with them. And once I've finished Highlander, I was about to return to WWE. And I got a phone call from the agent and he said to me, Russell Crowe's asking for you to be in a movie.

I was like, yeah, okay, and I hung up. I should have said, I've got to Niro in the other line or something. funny. But I didn't believe I just hung off and he called me back and he was serious he really is. He watched you for this movie and I was

like okay sorry about that but he sent me the script whatever let's talk about it I guess if this is a real thing then I really like the script I love the character and the fact Russell was asking for me which it's bizarre to me I guess he went to Henry and kind of asked about me and Henry put me over for the performance on Highlander and we got working with WWE and said I know I've been out for a couple of

months and supposed to come back but there's this thing here I think it's a big opportunity I'm not leaving. I want to be the first full-time W.W. Ressler that's done two movies with A-listers back-to-back. I think it's a great look for the company. It's good for my brand,

which is good for our brand. Yeah. I basically had that whole speech ready. The executives said, okay, if Triple H says, okay, and I had it ready. I got him, 100 in the phone, and we're talking.

And I'm like, here we go. I've got my notes. And he was like, yeah, Drew, I think it's best we keep you off and do it because it is a great opportunity. I was like, oh, damn it. But, Paul, I've got all these notes and things.

I'm even going to tell you. I was like, no, you're good. Just don't even have to tell me. Plus, I was talking so fast, like my real life voice, that'd taken pre-workout. He's no idea what I'm saying anyway. I was like, try, just go do the movie. Come back.

He finished it. So they were awesome about it. And then I got to do the last rude. That wasn't spent 10 weeks living in Barcelona, two weeks in Grand Canaria with, not just Russell himself, but like Maddie Noble. It was like his number two in the movie. Really helped out, really gave me great advice.

Yeah. Son, Tennie as well. Just really, really learned a lot during that. Legends man that guy's a legend. Yeah. And it's so weird. At first, like, I think every time I said his name, I said his full name for the first couple of weeks. And it eventually it just becomes the first name like Henry as well.

Like it just is so bizarre. But, you know, the deal. You meet people that you admire, like in our world. And people you watch on the big screen. And you got to know them. And you're like, oh, well, they're just very good at what they do. Like, you're good at what you do. Right.

You spend time with people, especially ones you want to learn from. And it's like, okay, this is cool. I'll pick your brain, but you're just a cool guy to hang out with. Yeah. And he enjoys a good time. I enjoyed it. So are you going to do, are you going to focus more on

it seems like Hollywood kind of stuff? Just whatever makes sense. I'm focused on come back to wrestling. We also filmed, we have to talk about it, the WWE Real Short, vertical short. Yeah, exactly.

As I bring that up. As I came back from Spain, we got right into that as well. The WWE working with Real Short for this vertical short movie, Agent of Shadows. It was filmed over three weeks. That was pretty exciting as well

to get involved with that. So we have three movies, back to back, basically. Yeah. Also, actually, I can talk about this as well. I did a Disney Pixar voiceover text, which has been out soon too. Oh, dude. It's been a busy six months.

Dude, my, I think one of my dreams is being a voice actor. It is fun. Dude. Like, I got asked to do it and I wasn't sure if the right person at first. I was like, how did you get mindful? But, uh, we worked on the deal again through the agents and that. I went in. It was with, uh, you know, Jared and the, all the Pixar people, all the main people.

Yeah. And the character, they didn't tell me anything because I think it's supposed to be secret. The characters on the wall. and we talked about it. I felt like my voice wasn't the voice, so I had fun with it, and I think they were kind of surprised, like, we're such improvers and wrestling, so had a lot of improv, a lot of feedback

from them, I was making the voices, I was upside down, like in the microphone, I was all over the place, had so much fun. And then Jared had said, you thought about doing this, I was like, you're Disney, anything else is a step down, so call me if you got something for me, but it is a lot of fun. Yeah, so the real short thing is

it's like vertical, so these are, I've heard about these like happening a lot more. I guess Hollywood has been doing a lot more of these like vertical. It's a billion dollar business. Once I got told about it when I was in Spain, I researched it and I was blown away. Like this is a billion dollar industry. The amount of hours that are consumed by people is incredible.

But it makes sense, especially the younger generation. Their faces are in their phones the whole time. And they're easy to watch. I actually was watching a couple when I was going back and forth on the flights to Scotland and Spain. There was one in particular. I couldn't stop watching.

like a freaking dad had broke up with his wife who had a daughter but the dad was the really nice guy and the wife was kind of evil it's whatever but then the daughter was super evil and she's like give him the money dad just such a piece of crap door and i can't stop watching this vertical chart and i'm like it's one of those and like uh i'm not speaking with with ben hauser from w b who's behind it and with real short i was a wow this character sounds great it's uh very much a cue to the lead characters James Bond. Yeah. And I think they got a lot of fun with this, but they were putting a lot of money into

it as well. And Chase, they plays the lead character Adam, the James Bond type. Like he's been in it since 2019. He's watched how big it got and he said, this is the biggest one by far. We filmed in the Hollywood Hills, one of the houses out here. We filmed in the Biltmore Hotel and we filmed like my lair. It's like a back cave as well. And that's just a few of the sets I saw.

There was multiple different sets. Everybody did a great job. A lot of our wrestles were on. there and I thought they did just do a great job with the action but with the acting sequences as well so I'm excited for people to see it and how quick they turned things around in that world blew my mind but the quality was still incredible yeah so you're gonna do you're gonna do more stuff like that or more stuff like actual screen I guess it just depends what what opportunities are there

like I've had a very clear vision in my head once I started doing this because I didn't plan to do it and now I see it as if something comes along that's fun like that I can see myself hey this is going to challenge me and me and it's going to be worth taking time away from wrestling because wrestling is my number one w wb is my home but if this is going to be like not big angry man number five because i'm six five and yeah yeah six five and a half exactly yeah you're fucking tall as fuck bro we're talking about i was talking about it earlier before we got on here i was actually surprised because i've i've seen a lot of the wrestlers in real life because i've gone to events and i was like i see the guys and

i'll like look up there like wait and they're like they're not i don't know maybe they they they fluff it up a little bit, but then when I met you, I was like, I'm the only one they under exaggerate. Like historically in wrestling, everybody has had their weights and heights and how it's jacked right up. And it's not as bad as it used to be. Back in the day, they'd exaggerate heights, like, five inches and like 50 pounds and stuff.

But like the guys now, I have to go to the ring and officer constantly and say, hey, I'm not 265 and 275. When I go back, I'm going to have to go, I'm no longer to 75 or 285. At least say my real weight. Yeah. If you want to say 300 pounds, that'd be nice too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you're fucking.

Huge, bro. When I've wear my boots, when I wrestle, I'm 6'7. So anybody that's saying they're 6'5 and they're really 6'2, they look freaking stupid. I look 7 foot tall because I always go face-to-face with people because that's, you know, it's very visual business. And I'm a bit like the audience know and take a moment to go, my God, Drew is freaking huge.

And I will look down on them. And I get told off one time. I'd say any names of who was in there. I was on my knee in a match. And then I stood up. And one of the people backstage said, please don't do that again. You made them look like a short fat book. Oh, my God.

God. So I would say the ends of stuff, but I was like, okay, fair enough. But, you know, whatever. Is, is, uh, because, yeah, kind of,

I guess, well, I'll get into this question, but, um, the beef, like with C. and punk,

is that, is that, is any of that stuff ever feel real? Yeah, it's real. But like, off camera. Oh,

yeah, a piece of crap. Avoid them, whatever I can avoid him. Like, it's like any job, like, I've seen him at my gym a few times training.

Oh, yeah. Does he's friendly? He goes to go down talking to people? He was pretty friendly to me. Oh, I'm sure it's friendly. You've got platform where you can talk about being a piece of crap, but I'm on your platform and I can tell everybody's a genuine piece of crap.

No, like in real life. Oh, yeah. Like, I mean, he tries to play now. He's better at hiding it now than he used to be. Like, back in the day, everybody couldn't stand them. He was so full of himself. Like, so many people worked hard to get him in a prominent position. Then he left the company, screwed everybody over the lost for him,

gave him this big name, just walked out of the company. Wait, so you genuinely feel this way. Oh, yeah. Can't stand him. It's like, you have to work with people you don't like it. I mean, you've got your own business. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fire people you don't like.

But I can't. Like, writers tell him you're working with that guy. And I'm like, hurry, I can't stand him. But I know he's very good at his job. Like, I can be professional. I'm very good at my job. You put us together. You don't have to find the real in it.

Like, he doesn't like me. I can't stand him. Yeah. You put us together. It's magic for the audience. But also, we have to be professional and not pan each other. I say, we pan each other's heads out. I would murder him.

You see when UFC, we'd look like that if it got real in there. Oh, shit. But you're like for sure in real life you got them. Oh, I can't stand up for real life. Like a, I don't care of any jihitsu lesageage. I might guys that tell me like, yeah,

my, man, my bra's, did you fight for the UFC? No, shut up. I said, I will crush you.

You know, I'm giant and Scottish and everybody's going to face up in it. You're a savage, bro. Guys are like, you're going to choke slam me. You got a tomb stomach.

I'm like, no, I'm going to punch her. I say the C word in with a thick Scottish accent. Oh, Jesus. He's a psycho. Yeah.

Don't push me. out these days, you know, playing the corporate, corporate kind of roll backstage or whatever because he knows he's got nowhere else to go. He's burned his bridges everywhere. This is his last chance to stay in wrestling, so he has to be nice to everybody. But behind those eyes, he's crying

because he just wants to be a dick and on stop. Very Charles Manson-like. Holy shit. Just talks to the audience, convinces him he's such a good guy. They buy into his BS, even though this is why I went down the route, went down, and thankfully,

you know, our creative demon hunter, Leby do this, where I pointed out, criminology degree. Beyond reasonable doubt, you're guilty. I'm like on the front of the live crowd, guys, just please go on the internet and look at my character, witness reports,

where everyone says, nice guy, really nice guy, and take a, just Google CM Punk, what's he like in real life? And he is a terrible human. Just do that for me while you're booing me and cheering him and I'm your guy. So this is kind of stuff I have to deal with and people think I'm a bad guy.

I'm not a bad guy. I didn't change, the audience changed. Four people that are pieces of crap. For people that just want to be famous. Like a lot of things I see now, all these TikToks and was it called Twitches and whatever. I'm like, if you thought I'd be getting good at wrestling first and then doing that stuff,

before I did the movie stuff, I got good at the wrestling first. I used the platform to get famous. Just as a side effect of being on television because you love wrestling or you should love wrestling. Yeah. So you think he's gone about it the other way where it's like... No, no, he loved it.

It's not him with that one. He's just a piece of crap. He loves wrestling. It's just a genuine piece of crap. He happens to be talented in Charles Manson. Like, I'm talking about more of the newer generation. I'm maybe focus on your, you know, love of the game and getting good at wrestling first before instead of just trying to get popular the

the buddy was a horse before the car or whatever yeah the expression is just maybe focus on maybe get good at this thing and you can tell when someone doesn't love it truly because they take about a year of giving it given it their own and then they're just and then they're talking about things like going to hollywood or i see what you're saying music stuff whatever i was like maybe focus on this first and then worry about all the other stuff again i never thought about anything but this and i don't think of anything but this and the other stuff will come once you know you get good at this one thing but that's why you think you got it this singular focus like you there's like all you have to that I guess that's the best way to summarize I'm very long as it's just you got to keep if you're going to get good at something keep that singular

focus and eventually the other stuff will come your other passions will come but you have to have the passion for this especially how long we're on the road how often we're on TV the stress is that come with it but you have to have that passion or eventually it's going to be obvious you don't care and you're going to be out of the door have lasted yeah 26 years 20 years in America. I'm at the top level because at the core, I freaking love it.

Yeah. So, okay, he's talked about Sienpunk. Who, who would people be surprised that you would think is a really good person?

Like, in wrestling and off, off camera? What does anybody be surprised? So there's a lot of good people, like, that's one thing. Who stands out the most?

Is you like, I really, you really enjoy either working with or, I will say, in the past when I first started, and it had all the kind of legends still going and a lot of talent that aren't there anymore. I mean, I first started. Such a fucking legendary time.

Like, Triple H was full time. Rick Flair was still full time when I first started. He was actually on the active roster in 2007. You really have a unique, like, time span in it. Oh, yeah. But that period, it was like the legends were still there. The legends of legends were still there. But the younger guys, not these guys, like I'm naming, they were comfortable in their position.

They know who they were and they did their job. but the other guys are like that should be me in that spot whatever they were genuinely out to get you stabbing you the back crap talking you that doesn't happen so much or really doesn't happen anymore yeah okay it's a certain level it will at the very tip you top but rest of the time everyone is generally a good person now and if they're not again he'll get you know talk to or can't be anyone up anywhere it used to be back in the day you dealt with things backstage as a it's a new job problem people really got in tussles backstage oh yeah and off camera yeah it would never be on the internet now if it did it be on the internet it'd be on the internet it's

instantly and the handling issues, but it really doesn't happen to be like that often anymore. People generally get along now or, you know, unless it's punk or whatever, like professionally get along where you have to. But back in the day, it was a lot different. So that's why it's hard to single someone up because everybody pretty much now is a good person, especially the ones that came, you know, I have issues with people from certain wrestling families, but the ones that came from the wrestling families are very respectful, et cetera, backstage because they came from that world. That's how their families always made the money and they have great respect for the business even if I can't stand some of them. Yeah. Who's your favorite? Who do you think your favorite

wrestler is of all time? That's not you. Brett that hit my heart was my guy growing up. Yeah. I mean, every time he gets an interview now. He's always saying something horrible with somebody. But he always says nice things about me. And he was my my favorite grown up. Yeah. I just remember like fucking suck it. Oh yeah. Dude. Say to the teachers and stuff. I've told like, yeah, like at times I got in trouble or detention because I was telling my teachers, not really known what it meant. And then a couple of years later, I went, oh, no. I just realized what I was saying to my teachers. And wait a minute, I'll snow and mannequin head. That's not mannequin head. Things that clicked, but I got a little older. I'm like, God, I'm shouting that people. Dude, that,

that era, that was so legendary, man. Oh, unbelievable. Every character was just so popular. The fans were so rabid. And, like, now, it's come back around, like, everything's so cyclical in this business. But wrestling has got so massive again. right now, like it's crazy. Just to watch from 07 to now to see where I was like, can't possibly get bigger than this. And WrestleMania was the one stadium show a year. And now we do multiple stadium shows a year

all across the world, different countries. Yeah, that's the thing that I really, when I talk to people who are in the space who are wrestlers who are like active, I'm like, how the fuck do you keep up with this shit? Because it's like they have so many sort of things that they have to do on and off stage. And then you've got to get sleep. Then you got to make sure you're training.

Then you got to make sure you're showing up to like rehearsal shit. you're like practicing everything. It's like how do you balance all that? Unless it's a stunt, practice stunts, but it comes to the matches. Like,

you should know what you're doing. We can talk about it a bit. Yeah. You got 10 minutes. You got 15 minutes. You got 20 minutes. Go out there and listen to the crowd and wrestle. Like,

I can't stand with people plan stuff from beginning to end because you don't know the crowd's going to react. What if you plan out this choreograph match and you walk out there on the crowd are just sitting on their hands. They're like, yeah, but they liked in Chicago last week. Because then you're probably like,

crowds like different things. I don't know what to do when they, don't get the right reaction then yeah they've not learned how to to improvise in the moment and sometimes like a lot of people are good at listening but some people panic and it's not fun if you're in live tv and somebody panics and you're talking to them like hey this ain't work and we're going to go this direction now and they kind of freeze up and that's when things look choppy and not choppy in the good way i like if it looks kind of makes it look real if it's kind of choppy and you get really physical with each other but if things start messing up in

an obvious way it is not good if there's a miscommunication or somebody trying to tell the other person let's go this direction and they're not quite ready and i mean things are different now we don't have as many non-televised shows now as we used to where people can't practice yeah and there is more now people are getting their reps in and the talent are finding their feet especially the younger talent but they were in a spot now with all the eyeballs on us with netflix and yespn and the billions of social media views and doing shows like yourself like if you're on the tv show i expect you to be at a certain level or if I'm in the ring with you I will beat what for real if you're making me look good I'm not joking I believe you I believe it yeah so so to someone who's like who wants to

be a part of the wb who like wants to succeed at a high level now what do you think it requires everything um there's a rock quote they use all the time I've told told him this um and I've done some projects with him was a face of project rock um for a minute but He said, all it takes is all you got. Like, if you want to get into this, give it everything you possibly can, and the rewards will be anything you possibly can imagine. You don't even know some of the rewards

that might come from it, because the industry is so incredible. If you're trying to get into it, you've got to find a reputable school for one. If you don't have it in, find a reputable school that the trainers have had good careers themselves, that produce quality students

because a lot of people stealing money out there and training people wrong and hurting people out there. So that's phase one. And then you've got to get the reps in and you got to figure out looking at the landscape, what's going to separate me from everybody else. There's a lot of television shows now, a lot of different companies, a bit of me hidden shoulders above everyone, of course,

but what's going to make you stand out? A lot of flyers out there that you're trying to do all these high flying moves that can do it a lot better than you. So unless you're as good as some of these crazy high flyers, the dragon leaves of the world, etc., which I imagine you're probably not. And you're one injury away from that. If that's your thing, you get hurt your knee, boom, your career is over.

You've got to find that character. you got to find what's going to make you connect with the audience what is that character trait you don't all have to be my size anymore used to be everyone was kind of larger than life you can be different shapes and sizes but what is it going to make what's going to make you stand out from everybody else what's going to make you say oh he's different and uh there's a million different things and a million different characters but there's always something that's never been done before yeah it's excited when i see something i've never seen before yeah that's that reminds you social media you seen what's Dan House and like whenever characters he's like the little got the makeup on he kind of looks like a

Dracula looking guy yeah and he's just suddenly all these is like a mascot for all these sports teams yeah he's little funny segments on the show like I never seen anything like that and I was like look at this guy here just by being different he's on everything he's literally over ESPN and all that's the that's the same exact thing I tell people of social media because everyone wants to like get into it somehow it's just like people and their complaint is always oh it's so over saturated everyone does it but no matter what it's like okay but you like who like who are you really and like what do you really want to show off or what's like unique about you that's the thing that not everyone has it's just learning how to like figure that out which can be very hard

obviously if you're just if you admire somebody if someone's just trying to be a second right version of somebody else so you just get a second rate version that's what's going to make you unique like just be your true self because nobody's you be the first you yeah had you ever struggled with that oh yeah i tried to replicate so many people and uh like rassels i admired when I was younger and even like some of the voices I put on he used to play the stupid wrestler voice when I was younger all the time and I wasn't even that long ago I was still doing it it's embarrassing I've seen clips of myself and like half the time I think I'm doing a triple H like circa 2000 2001 because like I was a like massive fan of like he was a big bad guy back

and he was so jack did the long hair and the voice and stuff which is his actual voice and I know I was kind of subconsciously doing impressions of a lot flicking the hair and stuff and I was like yeah I'm just ripping off hunter completely I'm just trying to find my own thing eventually find my own voice and my own stuff. Yeah, that, dude, that, that era was so different. Like, I don't know how much, I don't know if you ever talk about this or not, but like the gear, the gear usage. I don't know, it was just different during that era or like people were just like,

they didn't care as much and they just, everyone was just like fucking. Oh, yeah, yeah, there was no drug test. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, drug test. Yeah, yeah, it was like, bro, that's, there was something so special about that, though. I'm not saying we should go and do that again necessarily, but. Yeah, there was a lot of like men, like, like, proper guy.

like wow, that is a big man. He's just gonna kick the crap out of you. But not just physically, but just facially, a lot of the guys, you can just see we're just hardened men. If you got in a bar fight with them, they would just kick the absolute crap out of you. There's a lot of guys we have.

You can see bad, bad MFers, but there's also like a few boys that need to figure out ways to toughen themselves up. Like Hunter said the same thing to me when I was younger. Abercrombian Fitzroy was like, Madrid, you wrestle so aggressive, like a, like a Seamus, like one of our other guys.

It looks like a proper man, Ginger, a big beard. Yeah, I know Seamus. Yeah. So, like, he wrestles. the same as you, but he looks at the part, you got to figure out what it is. So that was where I'd start doing the cocky, you know, kind of backing off stuff. I'd start adding that.

But then I developed into this, so now I match how I wrestle, etc. But yeah, yeah, things are different. We pee in a couple of them now. So you can't be running about doing that. People are a lot healthier now. Besides acting and besides wrestling, are there other projects that you are interested in? Like other, you know, creating brands or creating other businesses? I mean, yeah.

I just don't quite know what it is. And my wife is always on me. As the agents are as well, like what is it you want to do? Like yeah, the obvious things are fitness, etc. I just don't know where that is.

I've had some apps brought to me that are kind of interesting. I'm okay, that could be interesting. Some supplement stuff. I'm like, oh, it's a busy market. It would have to be something kind of special. Like the face of things,

like I said, the Project Rock, stuff like that. And again, just because it's DJ's one, that was so incredible, incredible to do. But one's of my own.

I need something to speak to me. And she, like she being the wife, keeps putting things in front of me, hope this, what be this, what be this? And I'm like, yeah, I do my dream job. I avoid doing those five. And sometimes it drives me crazy. I don't want to do something.

I don't want to do and it tries me crazy. That's fair. So it's just waiting for that thing to speak to me. But right now there's a lot coming at me. I see people constantly release songs and over talent. Some of them aren't very good. Maybe I'll just do that. I can't be any worse.

Nah, you got to want to do that. I was going to be like, what happened to that guy? No, no. I'm just not sure yet. But it will come to me eventually. She's on me a lot. as I say the agents around me a lot and we'll find the thing I'm just so focused on the wrestling yeah turn 41 three months ago the people seem to think I'm like 48 49 because I'm from

the same age as like roman and you know the usos and cody and cody and i are from the previous generation from roman so everyone assumes we're a little bit older than we actually are you were just younger then yeah we were yeah cody and i were like literally 21 22 we first started on tv yeah there for 20 years they're like oh guys like you know you and you know a j and cina like guys that age I went, what the, they're seven, eight years old of me? I've still got time. Yeah, what the fuck? Yeah, I've still got a few more years

in the wrestling first. And, like, I'm amazed punk still going. There's one thing I can compliment him, man. Yeah, he's 40, he's still going. And he got himself in better shape. I mean, better shape for him. Let's not go crazy. Now he doesn't want like me.

He's just better shape for him. He's so skinny, so fat at the same time. Before now, he just got in all right shape. Everyone's like, if you've seen the changes, he looks so good. I would remember we're WWE. Like, he's not like he's about walking at Mr. Olympia.

He walks on to Mr. But he walks on to Mr. Chicago, the local area that he lives in stage. Never make, but he missed it. The punk shade is so fucking funny. You're funny,

man. I hear that a lot. It's just not an intentionally funny. I just tell the truth. Yeah. Well, I think like, I think the, the ACE thing is,

I mean, you're 41, right? Yeah. So, I mean, you've maintained a good physique, like a great physique. Like, that's a very challenging things for,

for, for, shit even fucking 20 year olds but to be your age and still maintain it what are some of the things that you are doing like fitness wise diet i took on a trainer uh over a year ago now which i kind of i'd worked with a trainer in the past rob mackintir who's also senior's trainer like he's a great guy he'd do my my programs and when i was in tampa i'd go work out with him as often as i could but when i moved to nashvah where i'm at now five and a half years obviously couldn't do that i just got to the point where else following programs but i've very

like edd whatever you want to call that i just get to distracted by shiny red balls and suddenly my workout takes three hours so i was a man i got i got to lock in and um after i think it was a cage match i had had five weeks off and i was like right i need change something in my training here and i talked to my buddy in tamp who recommended me a trainer in nashville and we kind of got talking and i've got a gym in my garage at home but i like to train out he came around and we're a good fit and then he put me on a different diet which was six thousand calories a day this is insane this is like not possible yeah and it was was like I started just doing it.

I said I'll give it a try and we started working on building the body from the inside out. Like a lot of things had hurt from a lifetime of wrestling and hadn't really been doing any prehab. I done rehab after I got hurt, but no prehab. Yeah. He actually has brittle bone disease was told he'd never be a bodybuilder. It was a screw that. I'm gonna become a bodybuilder and did. He's got two metal rods and his femurs.

Looks great. He's about as tall as he is wide. Like a little angry man that shouts at me all the time. But he kind of built up his joints. He built up his tendons. He could have taught himself a lot of different things. And he started showing me how to do these things. Like simple things like, you know, cars.

You're creating space and your own joints. You move the shoulder around as hard as you can. The hips, the knees. You can do it in every body part. We started there. We started building from the ground up with the feet. I didn't realize how important they were. I didn't realize how unstable I was until I started working out barefoot,

wearing these little barefoot shoes. Yeah. And really strengthening up the feet. And I just was like, wow, this is incredible. The difference of how I feel. And I was getting bigger. I was getting leaner. And I was getting leaner.

And I was, I was able to start throwing head kicks again. Like my hips were like in a bad, bad place where I could only throw a kick forward, which is good because my finishing moves a claymore where I throw my foot forward, a lot of hamstring. But I couldn't throw any sidekicks anymore like I used to when I was a kid. Now I can kick the big show in the head or almost in the head. Yeah.

Tallest guys if I wanted to. I've gained my flexibility back. But I've also got bigger, leaner. And it's thanks to working with somebody, like close proximity. Right. Consistently as well. Yeah. Yeah.

And even like said, the past few months, I've never really been a cardio guy since I played soccer I used to wrestle like three four times a week for years so that was my cardio since we've kind of slowed down there by matches we do he's had me doing hit cardio he's got me on this assault like which i love afterwards but oh it's so fucking tough that's what i got in my garage yeah it's like afterwards it's the best feeling but at the time like the other day we did just i'd already done cardio that day regular like 30 minutes and then i was going rolling around the ring that day and then we did eight rounds i think it was just seconds off and 10 seconds on for eight rounds.

All it was, seems easy in theory. It was not easy. Going as hard as you can. As I say, a little angry man shouting at you the whole time. Yeah. Like, I want to be in the best cardio shape of my life. And again, I figured I would start leaning up when I came back from Barcelona, was back into the diet.

I live in Nashville again. I was, okay, I'm probably going to lose some weight while the cardio, et cetera. But it's been the opposite. I've gotten bigger, I've gotten leaner. I've gotten more flexible and I feel in the best shape of my life, which is bizarre. Yeah. Especially at 41, man. Yeah, it's wild.

Genetics are always on my side. I just have to eat enough or I will fade away. If I cut like eight twice a day or three times a day, even, I would go down to like $2.50 like that and then just continue. Yeah. How long do you think you're going to wrestle for? As long as I enjoy it, I guess, as long as the fans are enjoying what I do. Yeah.

And I can't imagine slowing down. Like I say, I've never felt as physically good. There's times where I felt really beat up like a couple of years ago. And I was like, wow, I'm feeling. feeling my age and feeling like how long i've been wrestling and now i just feel unbelievable as i say i'm rolling around in the ring with no crowd there just because i want to be in the best in ring shape of my life i posted a video just bouncing off the ropes the other week and i saw it yeah getting like over i know between all my socials like over 10 million views for just bouncing off the ropes

and i was like people want to see me get back in that ring that's kind of cool but yeah i'm hitting the ropes i've always been fast hitting the ropes i was hitting on the grease lightning and my buddy was like you need to record that because that's kind of impressive like he's not a wrestling guy was like you're flying I want to show you how fast you're going and my trainer was there and he's been watching me coming to shows the past year year plus and he's like the way you're moving in the ring I was wrestling bare feet as well rolling around all over the place he was like you were not moving like this before like I don't know what you moved like we were younger but you were not moving like this when you were last

wrestling so I can't wait to people who can see you know how I am in the ring how I'm moving now and you know maybe I'll be back soon maybe I'll be back later but for now we're focused on Hollywood Drew. Yeah. Maybe that's the thing when I come back because I will be talking about it nonstop. Your ears are going to bleed how much I'm going to talk about it and how much people should be grateful that I'm back.

Because I don't need WWE and the fans now. Y'all need me. Dude, a wrestling man. I'm such a big fan of fucking wrestling, man. It's such a fucking cool thing to do. It's fun. It's really, really fun. Yeah.

On screen and for being in the crowd. I love hiding in the crowd. I drove by a little wrestling event, actually, the other week in Nashville. I got some stuff from the grocery store and I saw a ring outside and they can't tell you excited I got I was like I drove back

and I was hiding like just watching the ring they were outside it was like 100 degrees like 20 people in the crowd and I kind of pulled by where the wrestles were using as the backstage area to come out by this bar where the ring was set up and I couldn't quite see it I rolled the window down like a blacked out windows

and this guy who's on the show's jaw just like oh no hey man oh yeah Drew McIntyre this must be weird for you the last thing he expected when he's wrestling where do you get recognize the most?

If I go at Walmart, I guess there, but the different states, it's certainly a lot more than I'll play. If I go to New York, everywhere, wrestling's so big, somewhere like New York. Nashville wear a hat a lot. It's incredible what a hat

can do for blended in. Not for me. That's what's such a part of my brand. They know it's me. Yeah, exactly. Like, I'd never wear a hat. I have it down over my eyes as well. It's like my eyes are kind of, with a change of color, but generally kind of bright blue. you know like wait a minute

that guy and I used to rip on Superman like I was like so stupid Clark Kent takes off glasses and you know yeah it's so dumb and Christopher Reeves is a good bit where he's kind of hunched over as Clark he takes it off

and his posture changes it's cool but it's still freaking him and I was like that's so silly but then I did the hat thing because the wife kept asking me to wear it so you know she doesn't love everywhere we go people are kind of hey

what do you do or you're that wrestler yeah the size they just assume I do something and sure enough I was like man I probably give Superman too much of a hard time because this is working I need some glasses as well What's your what's your Do you have any like favorite fan interactions

Things that really stand out in your mind Oh I mean there's so many Um positive over the years A couple of negative ones too But mostly mostly positive Our fans are fairly respectful Except yeah Yeah I mean there's been a lot like I guess

From the pandemic I talk to a lot of people As champion through I can remember what the or whatever but I got to chat some people yeah get like 30 at a time or 40 at a time and could have talked to people one after an hour like a meeting greet online yeah whatever and some were genuinely upset and you know going through a tough time and um with people I met in real life said I was one of those people and like you and wb saved my life during that period like things like

that were just unbelievable so like things like that you can't can't put a price on you can't believe or actually happen you can't believe something like wrestling or a little wrestling show can make a difference in someone's life in that way. Yeah. Especially because you're just kind of doing the thing that you just sort of love. It's cool. It's cool to have that sort of reaction for sure. It's unbelievable.

And it leads to other things. Like I love helping people wherever I can. I get to work with Special Olympics as a global ambassador. I got to go to Special Olympics World Games in Berlin a couple of years ago and be part of that whole event, opening ceremony. It was the most positive experience I've ever had my entire life. And yeah, anytime I can make a difference. And everybody can do it just big things like that.

Like if you make a difference, think it was an afterlife, the Ricky Gervais show. You can make a, you know, positive difference in your little corner of the world when you're doing something. Yeah. I need a lot more of that now because it can be a pretty negative place to the world. Yeah, especially with the fucking internet. But it is, it is true. It is like even just in your own life, even just with like a family member or a friend, if you could do that and have that impact.

It's a conversation. You never know. Give a phone call to somebody. You never know the difference it can make. Certain phone calls I wish I made or I wish I realized what was being said while I was on the phone and picked up on it because later it was too late to do something you go God I could have done something here I wish I did something here

you can't change the past you can't blame yourself if something goes negative in the past but you can't be proactive and just give somebody a shot you're thinking about what happened there specifically for you oh my mate killed him and he was calling about somebody else

he was going through something similar that he was just talking about him but he was also talking about himself and I did not realize and he was gone about earlier and I was like God I wish I'd realize or said something but you can't blame yourself or changing No when did that happen oh that would have been before the pandemic maybe 2019 damn yeah or the guy I grew up with in the wrestling and that seemed to be doing

really well seemed to be no very positive guy generally but then you don't know what's going on with somebody yeah I can closed doors and yeah did it every just we're all shut and yeah they all feel that we should have said something wish we said something but we didn't and anyone struggling out of there are the please love of God talk to your mates talk to somebody you feel comfortable with you don't feel comfortable talk there's anonymous hotlines just whatever you have to do because all it had to do was say something to somebody and we stepped right in and helped out yeah as we think the cause that which I wouldn't say but we kind of tried to piece it together what might have

been the reason if he just said something we could have got him to help but yeah he can't change the bill yeah my father took his life when I was real young and uh no no worries I I realize I mean it's in it there's an interesting thing around that concept in general suicide that like even and this is not to say that like don't talk to someone because obviously that's the the key to fixing any situation is getting someone out of their own mindset and so it's like having conversations about whatever can pull them in a different direction to think differently is the key the sad thing is in some of those cases it's like when if someone's going to do it they're just kind of do it like if they're really at that point

which i know my father was at that point from you know knowing the stories surrounding it you know it's I for a very long time held this like I wasn't it was my not my fault necessarily directly but I wasn't sort of good enough to have my father stick around for me and it was but I created this whole idea in my mind as a young kid because I was six when it happened that this is why and I'm not good enough and that's why he's not here but it's never it's it's never that like it's just there's like you said it's like how can you have that conversation with someone just leave him in a different direction too um so I get it that's super fucking tough I couldn't imagine, especially like in my later 20s or wherever, I mean, even now at this point in my life,

if I, if that happened, it's actually that did happen to me. Now that I think about it, there's exactly the same sort of concept, but I don't think it was directly like that. It was, I'll never forget. I, my first lifting partner when I was like 17, he was like, I think he was like 30. And he was like the first person who really pushed me in the gym. His name is Chad. He text me, um, hey, I'm really proud of you. Like, sorry if I was ever like sort of mean to you. I was going to make me emotional. Good thing about

the pain you never forget. I said my mother. I cry all the time when I think about her, but you never forget what he's going to memory. Yeah, I'm sorry. Oh, shit, that's tough. Oh, man, sorry. Yeah, he had messaged that to me. And then I,

I think I must have saw it later. And then I heard maybe a couple months. after he had ended he had ended his life he had shot himself and I'm and I was like I swear he messes me and I went back to it and I was like fuck like if I had maybe if I had maybe if I had said something and uh yeah that fucked me up actually kids fucked me up too because like I'm not sure I'm not gonna make this podcast about me this is about you it uh my my father figure obviously I lost my dad when I was young he hung himself

when I was six I struggled my whole life being like am I good enough and then I the guy who was like the first person who sort of like pushed me mentally in that direction of the gym and like I was like oh I'm actually getting good at this and I started to feel validation yeah and the first person who was like father figure himself exactly was the first father figure dude I don't know why my life is that way it's very interesting but it's life like it's yeah ups and downs and thankfully you know you had him come into your life and teach you those lessons before where he was going there's nothing you could have done it sucks and i know exactly exactly how you feel but like we are we are now and the man you are today is because of the lessons i call them like the crap parts like i don't call them failures

i don't call them anything but lessons that make because the people we are today and you would never change your thing or you wouldn't be who you are now who i am now and the pain that you feel when you think back is i always say it's positive because you never ever forget them like you soon you think about them a song a memory boom it hits you right away and that's how we always remember for the rest of our lives. Yeah. And I think that the most important part of it that you could take forward is just sort of, you know, like we were saying earlier about your friend,

and I'm saying about my friend now, and my dad is like, okay, how can you speak with people now about sort of parts of your life that can make them look at their life and go, you know what, I can figure this out. I see maybe, because I've had people message me, like I see how much it's hurt you when you've talked about these things. Like specifically, you know, when you talk about people messaging you during COVID or whenever, i've had a guy messaged me directly and be like i've seen you speak about your father and i have these kids and i was going to end my life and after i saw you talk about this i

realize how much i don't want my kids to experience that so it's a difference you made there it's a little feels like it happens a lot more to be honest i guess but there are other people and i know and friends and stuff that it's happening to november it's coming up so november is the uh the health awareness and it's okay to not be okay that is so true that we all go through those feelings but some even more than others yeah whatever it takes to put that message out there and hopefully something comes into their life like watching yourself on the podcast yeah being open and honest can make them not do that that horrible thing that there's no coming back from do you have any any regrets as far as it goes with your mother i do and did and i don't blame myself

now like i wish i went back more when she was sick um like even like during the the chemo and stuff and she had a rare genetic disorder where she couldn't just leave the house herself balanced disorder um the cerebell or taxa saidabella attacks yeah she can leave the house and I do wish I went back more but she refused to let me and she doesn't want me see her in that condition yeah we keep saying no and keep pushing forward with the job um I came home and my dad was at the airport my brother was at the airport and we have to be hospital and she was gone three days later like it got cancer came gone away the family came to arrest in 2011 had taken them a trip around all the shows and wanted to experience everything I

experience like sushi is not a thing in Scotland I think it even is to this day but I was kind of letting them try all the sushi stuff my dad ate wasabi at one point I looked away for a second he was just sweating I went what are you doing it was going on he was a and I looked at the plate and I went why did you eat the wasabi I looked at the least threatening thing he just hit up all the salvi and the batchie nights and like going to like random bars all across America and she told me you know she had a hysterectomy during that period and it was cancer related but it's okay now and then you know fast forward I came home and she was gone three days later that kind of rocked my world yeah um got spend the

three days with her but we can communicate and then we'd said everything we need to say that we got sick I made sure that we always said I love you at the end of the calls because we never said it I said that to her one time I want to start saying this from now on she was like but we know I was like I know mom I just like I really want to start just saying it out loud you didn't go saying that? I did but not like all the time she was like so like tough

and like a most important person my life my dad was the big emotional one he'd cry everything still cries everything like I've seen I remember I walked out as WB champion in Scotland in the crowd everyone's just yeah my dad's just standing there pouring tears I called him about Highlander he burst into tears like he's the big emotional one my mom was like

a manna like her mom like I grew up with kind of two mothers even my aunt was there a lot as well it was all the women in my family were the strongest my cousin Michelle now was kind of the the head of the family because it's always the women that are the strongest ones. But yeah, my mom was just so physically with everything she went through physically and had to deal with and told you never have kids and stuff and having me and my brother and mentally tough. But she had to be.

What a kid. Like, fuck, bro. She always, like, believed to me no matter what. And every, like, my dad did as well, like a bit. He was just like, please get the education. That's not a guarantee. Yeah. But the wrestling thing.

So would you say your mom was more like, go out and do the thing that you really want to? I do? Yeah. Like, I mean, she worried all the time. Yeah. You know, all the crazy stuff I could get up to. She knows about Villis Cannon at times. But she believed in me. And I'm happy she got to see me, like succeed where at least I succeeded to. And before she passed. And she's, whatever I go and whatever I do is there. And she's paroled me and everything. Yeah. Kind of the tough part comes from her. Now that I get emotional whatever, even though my dad's like tall and was always not as big and i said to everyone when i was younger i'm going to be jane through one day um that emotional power it comes from him yeah that's beautiful though man oh dude it's been a

fucking pleasure talking to you it's a genuine that's been really good conversation yeah you so what you're most excited about now obviously wwee it sounds like the acting thing is big for you though yeah i really enjoyed it i just didn't know it was going to become like something i like really enjoy and love even the process and excited for the future that there's something else that I could actually do. One of the guys that already decided

that's what I was doing on the last Drew, I think he was like, right, Drew, you're going to stop that wrestling thing and you're going to lose some weight and we're going to get you in a bunch of different roles. I was like, relax, pal. Yeah, yeah, hold on, hold on. I love the wrestling thing.

He'd already decided acting with my new career. I was like, you realize a big wrestling is and I can explain to me, all right, continue the wrestling thing for a bit. We'll get to the acting thing. But it is cool. There's something else I'd do. They really enjoy and I'm excited to see what happens in the future.

But, uh, wdb is my home. I won't be back. Yeah, I'm excited to see people's reaction to the first one, the, the vertical short, because there is so many WWE guys in there. Even Michael P.S. his if anyone knows the name out there, he's like from the kind of territory day, like back in the day. I don't know if you saw the Von Erick movie with all the brothers that died.

And Kevin was the last brother like the big, that movie was fucking great. There was amazing. It was a, it's such a sad story, but they're big rivals with a fabulous freebirds. they were rival with Michael was the kind of centerpiece he's been working backstage forever he was in the original Highlander at the very beginning of the movie you should remember there's a wrestling match going on and he's sitting in the audience and then he goes underneath in the garage to have the

first fight where he cuts the guy's head off so Michael's in that it's always joke with him I was like yep I fall on your footsteps I got into the wrestling now I'm doing the Highlander as well now you're in the vertical short movie as well hell yeah I dude honestly I'm so stoked for the fucking Highlander yeah so that's like much I remember that movie's excited about it like it's just crazy it's like people say to me like you know what's the next big one you could think of as i don't really know because it was that and brave far let's you remake brave fire made my boy in wallace or something because he was actually a giant of a man so if you remake brave far you know make it historically accurate make him a giant yeah

fuck yeah that'd be awesome man well much success i really appreciate you taking the time fucking awesome man thank you so much for your time i appreciate yeah great show cool every tuesday i love you guys subscribe to the channel check out the real short um what's the so what platform is it on the real short platform and uh it's called so that's a platform form itself yes it's okay vertical short micro dramas are code and then it's real short as the the platform where they'll see and this is this is wbd back it is yeah yeah okay combination with a real short so you already know the production is gonna be fucking 10 out of 10 oh yeah it's gonna running hard the promotional aspect yeah and there's gonna be a trailer out very soon if it's not out

already go check it out guys thank you for the support thank you so much for coming on the show man thank you yeah