Drew McIntyre Weighs in on Career-Altering Advice Received from The Undertaker During His First WWE Run

Drew McIntyre reflects upon the mentorship and career-altering advice from The Undertaker way back in 2010 when the Scot was new to the WWE.

Drew McIntyre Weighs in on Career-Altering Advice Received from The Undertaker During His First WWE Run

Drew McIntyre and The Undertaker (via WWE)

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True wrestling fans will be aware that Drew McIntyre was supposed to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. In 2010, the Scot was handpicked by Vince McMahon to be the future of the company, and the real-life Mark Callaway was chosen as his mentor on SmackDown. However, nothing of that sort happened. While McIntyre went on to win the Intercontinental title, he was not able to surpass the expectations of the former WWE CEO and was thus pushed down the card. 

Things got so bad that McIntyre became a comedic relief as part of the group called 3MB alongside Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal. As a result, McIntyre left the WWE and established himself on the independent scene and in TNA. This is when he earned his way back into NXT and then to the main roster in the form of the star that fans know of today. And it seems that some important advice from ‘The Deadman’ must have helped him to turn things around. 

In a recent appearance on the Huge Pop podcast with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas, the former WWE Champion revealed some words of wisdom that he received from the Hall of Famer during his initial run in the company. 

A lot of people go out there and just play wrestler. People watching, if you do pretty moves, they’ll get [claps] and they enjoy the performance aspect, but they’ll never get truly emotionally invested unless they are present and know who they are as a character and are selling the story, action, and emotion they want to sell during that match or segment.

Drew McIntyre via the Huge Pop podcast

Apart from this, Callaway advised the then 24-year-old McIntyre to embrace his in-ring character and not just play it for the sake of it. 

If you’re not able to fully embody that character and be the wrestler instead of playing the wrestler, then you’re never truly going to make it to the main event scene. If you do, because you’re such a freak athlete, you’re one injury away from not being able to do the stuff that got you the [claps] and not making people feel in their heart.

Drew McIntyre via the Huge Pop podcast

At the time, McIntyre admitted he was completely bewildered. He couldn’t grasp how he wasn’t “being a wrestler” when he was actively performing in the ring. It took years for the true meaning of the advice to sink in. He recently told The Undertaker that he wished he had the same understanding of professional wrestling back then as he does now, so they could have conversed on a more equal footing.

Regardless, the Scot had a golden opportunity to fight The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred tag team match at Extreme Rules 2019, where ‘The Deadman’ teamed up with Roman Reigns to take on McIntyre and Shane McMahon. This outing came at a time when Taker was no longer known to have great in-ring matches. However, this turned out to be different, and ‘The Deadman’ was able to bring out his best performance in years.

Drew McIntyre targets Bret Hart for his admiration for CM Punk

CM Punk has always been a polarising figure for other WWE stars. And Drew McIntyre’s well-known animosity towards the man is set in stone. The two had a fierce rivalry last year that culminated in a trilogy of matches, with Punk ultimately emerging as the victor in the rivalry’s conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. Since that time, many fans have felt that McIntyre’s on-screen presence hasn’t been as prominent.

Drew McIntyre, CM Punk and Seth Rollins
Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins (via WWE)

The tension recently escalated when Bret Hart praised Punk, naming him his favorite wrestler and ranking him above major stars like Reigns and Rey Mysterio. This naturally drew a sharp response from McIntyre, who stressed the fundamental importance of flawless in-ring execution. In the same interview, McIntyre delivered a pointed message. 

The moves do matter. That’s a prerequisite. If you’re a wrestler and you don’t do the moves well, you shouldn’t be a wrestler. I shouldn’t have to say the moves are important because, of course, the moves are important. You should be able to execute them well.

Drew McIntyre via the Huge Pop podcast

He then directly targeted Punk, criticizing his in-ring style and questioning the Hall of Famer’s admiration for him.

CM Punk, I don’t know how Bret loves him so much; he’s like the opposite of the Excellence of Execution. His moves are executed terribly, but he believes everything he says, and people buy his cr*p. Good for him, I guess. To me, as a wrestler growing up and as a Bret Hart fan, you should be able to do the moves well. That should be a given.

Drew McIntyre via the Huge Pop podcast

Currently, the Scot is involved in a heated feud with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who beat John Cena at SummerSlam to win back the gold. After delivering a vicious Claymore on SmackDown and justifying his actions a week later on the blue brand, the duo is expected to headline the company’s upcoming PLE Clash in Paris on August 31st. 

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