Drew McIntyre Says He Is “Living Proof” Independent Wrestling Can Build Stars
Drew McIntyre says opportunities exist in independent wrestling, and those opportunities helped him return to WWE.
In an interview with Inside the Ropes, Drew McIntyre was asked about his time away from WWE and how he managed to return. He left WWE in 2014 and returned in 2017 to NXT. He said when he left WWE, he had a specific vision and goal in mind.
"The goal was to show the world what I can do. Hopefully, they respond positively. I had a clear vision in my head of who I was, what I can give, and all the lessons I learned over the years, especially with my time in WWE from my mentors like Finley and Regal. I had a very clear plan. I went back to Insane Championship Wrestling in Scotland and got my mission statement out there," said McIntyre
McIntyre quickly became one of the biggest independent stars. He wrestled for Evolve, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and Impact Wrestling. McIntyre says the key to his success was seizing opportunities.
"From there, it steam rolled. People gave me opportunities, believed in me, and gave me a platform. I was able to knock it out of the park. In today's social media age, you're able to take the fans on a journey with you all across the world. Hopefully I created a template for other guys to show there are opportunities out there. You can go out there, you can do your own thing, you can build yourself, you can rebuild yourself and you can create a whole new image for yourself. I am living proof," said McIntyre.
He also said the timing was perfect to come back to WWE. He reappeared on WWE programming when he was in the front row at NXT Takeover: Orlando. Since returning, he has been undefeated on NXT.
The rest of the interview can be found at Inside the Ropes' YouTube channel.
