WWE star Drew McIntyre has revealed that he was set to have a run in Japan before his surprise return to the company came to be.
As many fans know, the 3-time World Champion was released from his contract in 2014 shortly after WrestleMania 30. Following a character reinvention and appearances in independent promotions around the world, McIntyre was back in the company 3 years later as he was seen in the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Orlando in 2017.
Proving the doubters wrong, McIntyre’s second run has seen him placed in the main event scene with multiple high-profile main events, championship reigns, and a feud of the year with CM Punk in 2024. However, according to The Scottish Warrior, things could have been a lot different.
Speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, McIntyre admitted that he put the wheels in motion regarding a possible run in New Japan:
“In 2017, when I returned to WWE, I was ready to go to New Japan at that point. That’s where my head was at,” McIntyre disclosed. “I spoke to the right people to start having the serious conversations.”
Drew McIntyre Told “Talk To Hunter First” Before Considering Japan
Continuing, McIntyre added that it was a conversation with Triple H that led to him changing his mind and returning to WWE, kickstarting a very successful second run:
“And Regal told me, ‘You got to talk to Hunter first, got to talk to Paul first.’ And it was one minute into the conversation, I knew it was time to come back”.
McIntyre’s second run began in NXT, which saw the Scottish star capture the NXT Championship shortly after his return. Following his main roster call-up, McIntyre won the Royal Rumble in 2020 and defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win hisn first WWE Championship, becoming the first British wrestler to achieve the accolade in the process.
H/t to Wrestling News.co for the use of transcriptions.
Featured image: WWE
