It should come as no surprise that Drew McIntyre wants another run with the WWE Championship — this time longer than the 5 minutes he held it for after defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40. And although he held the belt for longer than 5 minutes back in 2020 — when he defeated Brock Lesnar for the title at WrestleMania 36 — his coveted championship victory was diminished by the fact that he won in front of an empty arena due to lockdown restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. McIntyre explains that although his championship victory didn’t go unfold the way he dreamt of as a kid, he’s still hungry for the heavyweight gold nonetheless.
“It’s not what I dreamed of when I was a kid, obviously,” McIntyre said on a recent episode of The Masked Man podcast. “I didn’t sit there in Scotland fantasizing that one day I’m gonna main event WrestleMania and win the World title and nobody’s gonna be there. But it was just a necessity for the time.”
Despite not getting to hear the celebratory clamor of the crowd live when holding up the WWE heavyweight gold for the first time, McIntyre says the silver lining to winning during COVID was the fact that his work helped many pro wrestling fans through a difficult period of their lives.
“I’ve met so many people that have told me WWE literally saved their lives because it gave them that constant every single week during such an uncertain time,” McIntyre added.
Though his WrestleMania 40 victory over Seth Rollins was cut short due to interference by McIntyre’s new nemesis, CM Punk (and the Money in the Bank cash-in by Damian Priest), the celebration, however brief, was still a meaningful one for him.
“I had that moment with Seth, and that moment with the fans chanting, you know, ‘You deserve it.'” McIntyre explained. “And getting down on my knee, and presenting the title to my wife. And she’s been such a big part of the journey โ the reason I’m the man I am today โ and hugging my brother, who was my first tag team partner.”
What do you think of the thoughts shared by Drew McIntyre on the highs and lows of being WWE Champion during the COVID-19 pandemic? What about his short-lived victory at WrestleMania 40? Did Drew and the rest of the WWE roster help you through tough times during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments.
