DREW McIntyre admits rubbing shoulders with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has inspired him to steal the spotlight at WrestleMania.
The grappling hero, from Ayr, will share top billing alongside the Hollywood heavweight when WWE hosts its flagship event in a stadium filled with 70,000 fans.
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Although they’re not involved in the same match, the 38-year-old – who challenges Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship – thinks every superstar can learn a lot from the in-ring icon.
The Rock, who is teaming up with real-life cousin Roman Reigns against Rollins and Cody Rhodes in a separate bout, once tipped Drew for the top and the Scot says it meant the world.
Drew says: “When it comes to The Rock, it’s amazing he has such a passion for our business still.
“It’s in his blood and inevitably he became one of the biggest stars of all time in our industry and then the biggest star on planet earth – and he still wants to come back to wrestling.
“It can only be a good thing because it brings so many extra eyeballs and those people become new fans – maybe they came for The Rock and stayed for Drew McIntyre.”
Drew adds: “I spoke to him and thanked him for putting me over in a TMZ interview.
“I wasn’t doing anything in particular, it wasn’t like I was the next one to break through.
“I was just fulfilling my role on the show and he was asked who he could see being the next breakout star and mentioned me.
“It gave me a kick in the butt. When someone like The Rock believes in you, it’s pretty cool.
“The first chance we got, I thanked him for that privately and he was appreciative of that too.
“He’s remained down to earth and he’s very smart when it comes to business, and I’m very fortunate to be able to pick his brain.”
Drew headlined WrestleMania four years ago and became the first British WWE champion under very different circumstances.
The hunk joined WWE as a 21-year-old in 2007, only to be axed seven years later and relegated to the independent circuit.
He worked his way back to the top and re-signed with the company in 2018, rising to the main event ranks.
When he finally defeated Brock Lesnar, it was supposed to be a celebration with 80,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
However, the pandemic robbed him of that moment when the event switched to a much smaller arena with no fans present.
Now Drew reckons winning the title again at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field would make up for that when WrestleMania finally arrives as a two-night extravaganza on April 6 and 7.
He says: “I’ve got a bunch of people coming to WrestleMania.
“Sadly my dad and his wife can’t make it this time but my brother, his wife and my buddies and the missus will be there so there will be a good representation.
“The goal is to win and get back to a UK tour and see my dad and everyone else who wasn’t able to make it to Philadelphia.
“The dream before was to win at WrestleMania in front of tens of thousands of screaming people and I can’t even imagine what Tampa would have looked like at that moment.
“It would be a very memorable moment played over and over again, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“This time, maybe fans are with me or they aren’t with me, but they’re coming from all over the world and I’m curious to see the kind of reaction I get.
“Either way, the response will be so loud and I’m going to win.
“It’ll be adrenaline-filled instead of silence in a room and a time for personal reflection.
“This is one for me. This WrestleMania is outrageous in terms of how big it’s going to be from an attendance perspective and people watching.
“And to be in the world title match is pretty cool and well deserved.”
Drew’s gimmick for the last few years has involved carrying a sword and wearing a kilt.
But recently he’s stripped back the theatrics and started getting more freedom on the microphone to wind opponents up.
He’s glad to get the opportunity to show his real character and hopes to continue making people laugh.
The wrestler says: “People have been saying to me that this is my best form which I’m very appreciative of.
“But I’ve still got to look at where I can improve. The younger me would have said ‘damn right’ and gotten cocky.
“I think this run has overtaken anything I’ve ever done in my career so let’s finish strong, then the hard work begins.
“As the smiling swordsman character I’ve been for the last few years, we were on fire and somewhere along the line we flatlined and there was no progression.
“People said they were happy to see Drew but something needed to change and I got the opportunity to be myself and inject my personality in there.
“It’s not shocking to people in Scotland but the way I talk to people, if our roster saw my group chats with buddies back home, they’d ask if they’re my enemies.
“It’s our sense of humour coming across as shocking to Americans, but really I’m just getting to be the wind up merchant that I really am.”
And Drew hopes his links to Scotland will go beyond just the sense of humour.
He misses being home and has vowed to return more often in the future with nurse wife Kaitlyn.
It’s one of the biggest reasons that he’s so desperate to become champion again and push for more events in Scotland and the UK.
He adds: “I’ve mentioned going back home and seeing people getting older, including my dad, and not liking it.
“And realising, along with my sacrifices, how many sacrifices my family and friends have made with me not being there, I felt really guilty.
“I made a promise to myself to be home more and that’s what this title win is all about, being able to hand it to my dad and say it’s all been worth it.
“I went to a wedding recently and saw people I hadn’t seen for the 18 years I’ve been gone and it was weird to see some of them grey and with kids.
“I’m trying to be a little more present and get the texts and calls in because it’s been all-go for work and it’s still all-go, but the plan is to win the title for me and everyone back home and bring it for a UK tour right after WrestleMania.”
After facing off against so many of the industry’s top names, Drew doesn’t like calling people out for dream matches.
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But if all goes to plan at WrestleMania, he does still have one man in mind that he’d like to work with.
He quips: “Whether it’s a match with or being in the same team as him, as long as the story makes sense, who wouldn’t want to be a part of something with The Rock?”
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