Ahead of the WWE Superstar Spectacle in Hyderabad on September 8, t2 caught up with the celebrated Scottish professional wrestler and WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, on his India visit, his lessons to master the mind and his biggest wins outside of the ring.
First things first, is the famous Hyderabadi biryani on your wish list?
Oh yeah! I am very excited to come back to India. I have got plans to have whatever I can get my hands on. I am planning to see the sights... I have never been to Hyderabad, but I know the fans are going to be absolutely wild. I have got the experience myself, coming to Mumbai and couldn't believe how many people appeared around me wherever I went. India's such an amazing fan base for the WWE. The fans are so passionate. I'll be having a pakora party and if anyone wants to bring me any local food, that'd be fantastic. I want to try as much as possible.... I am from the UK where our main dish is a great delicacy... Indian food.
You literally grew up in wrestling. How do you look back at this marvellous journey?
I don't look back too much, but what I do ever so often is reflect, which is mostly during the times when I am injured or I have got some downtime, which doesn't happen often. When I was writing my book, A Chosen Destiny: My Story, I had the chance to look back at the journey that brought me to where I am right now.
Yeah, I have been in wrestling my whole life. I've only ever wanted to be in WWE since I was a kid. Full-time wrestling is all that I have known. I have been fortunate to live my dream and be Peter Pan and never grow up and have met so many amazing people on the way. Even though I am a veteran and a guy people see on TV, I am just going to run for a long time and I am still young and I have many many years left.
Do you ever have conversations with your 15-year-old self and what is that conversation like?
I am too scared to say anything, in case I change one detail about my life and career and everything that has happened. I'd also be scared to say 'enjoy the ride', in case I mess something up, but even when I look at the terrible or difficult periods of my life, I see them all as lessons rather than complete misery. I learnt from everything and it has shaped me who I am today. I may not be the person I am today or living the life I live today if I changed one little detail.
Was there ever a Plan B?
Right now I can make up something, but back then if you had asked me, I would have said no. I did believe that if you want something enough and if you believe in enough and work hard at it enough, it's going to happen. But also at the same time, I had my dad in my ear that there's got to be a Plan B, a fall-back plan... which is what I tell everybody today, especially the kids, get your education, go as far as you possibly can, or even if you've left it, if you have the chance to go back to college and get some more qualification, there's nothing wrong with that.
My degree was in criminology as I was very interested in that area. So maybe I would have been involved in some specialised detective work, but I just can't imagine doing anything else, especially the way I used to think when I was a kid. It was a blind obsession that I had to be in wrestling, in WWE.
Is there a win that is more special because of the circumstances you were coming from to win it?
The big moments in WWE, winning the 2020 Royal Rumble was a huge moment for me. That was me, finally after all these years, making it to the next level and showing the world that... 'We have heard Drew McIntyre has been the future for a long time and is getting to the point where I am going to become the past without ever being the present'. That was me heading to become the present which obviously led to winning the WWE title.
WrestleMania... during the time the whole world had shut down and everybody was scared... WWE pushed ahead to ensure that there was an escape for everybody. I had the opportunity to lead the charge. This may not be replayed a lot, but I am still very proud of it because of the times we were living in and the fact that I was able to steer the ship during those times.
What are you expecting at the Superstar Spectacle?
....I am expecting to go until death. I have experienced the passionate fans and I have seen all the messages I get on social media, especially Instagram... the positive messages are overwhelming. This is the first live event since 2017. The fans are more than ready and they more than deserve it.... this is going to be an A-plus team, guys like myself... John Cena is going to be there. I know what a big name he is in the world but specifically India and this may be the last chance that people may get to see Cena in India. So, it's going to be a special day all around.
What do you do to keep your mind fit?
I try not to hold on to things and build up negativity until I crack. When I was younger, I just used to kept pushing forward and if there was something negative, I would just store it at the back of my mind and just let negativity build till I exploded. If there were a bad situation, I would focus on the bad rather than try to find the good. These days, if a situation is pretty negative, I try very hard to find the positive. That way you have a chance to go back to positivity no matter what the situation is, even if it's finding a little a memory to perk you up. Thankfully, my wife is my therapist and I try to be more open these days about the things going on in my mind. At this stage, I am living my dream and at a very good place in my life right now.
What have been your biggest wins outside the ring?
I guess everyone knows that I got signed to WWE when I was 21 years old, achieving the dream and was going to be the future of the company. I was the chosen one as proclaimed by Vince McMahon and then... I ended up getting fired. During that period, there was a lot of growth, not just as a performer in the ring but more importantly as a person. I was able to finally grow up and... (I had) moved over as a boy from school and never really grew up and had a lot of learning to do and during that period was able to finally become a man, become accountable and give back to WWE.... achieve everything I've ever wanted to achieve.
Saionee Chakraborty
WWE RAW Superstar Drew McIntyre is all set to arrive in India for WWE Superstar Spectacle which will take place at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium (Gachibowli Indoor Stadium), Hyderabad, on Friday, September 8. Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE RAW every Tuesday on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 5.30 am IST. Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of WWE in India.