Drew McIntyre Was Originally Going To Be An Underpants Runway Model

Drew McIntyre made his WWE debut in 2007, but his big re-debut came in 2009 when he was labeled as “the chosen one” and a “future World Champion” by Vince McMahon. 

McIntyre was earmarked for greatness right off the jump, though his path would have looked much different if WWE’s original idea panned out for him. 

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, McIntyre confirmed that he was originally slated to be a male model before he sat down with Vince McMahon and got things ironed out. 

“I got told about it, I was about 260 (pounds) at the time. ‘We’ve got this great idea for you Drew, you’re going to be…A RUNWAY MAN!’ You’re going to come out on a runway and model the latest underpants. That’s going to be your gimmick, you’re going to be this model character. All my dreams just crashed before my very eyes, but I couldn’t register it on my face because it’s WWE and it’s a great opportunity. I just nodded like ‘that’s a great idea.’ I lost about 35 pounds to get the abs in, looking like an Abercrombie & Fitch model. I had a shaved face, looking like a pretty boy. I looked the part. I sat down with Vince McMahon and he asked me my honest opinion on the character and I said, ‘You know what sir, if it gets me on television then I’ll make it work.’ He clearly saw that I did not it at all and he said, ‘Go out there and be yourself.’ I had already lost 35 pounds and I had to gain the weight back. I looked like a male model but had to be a butt-kicker. I’m glad that never saw the light. Thank God! The best characters are an extension of your personality. A male model is nowhere close to my personality. I was watching YouTube videos trying to figure out how to be a runway model. My goodness, it was not the one for me,” said McIntyre. 

Former WWE writer David Lagana said in an April 2020 interview with Muscle Man Malcolm that McIntyre got on SmackDown because another writer thought he was hot. You can find Lagana’s full comments by clicking here.

McIntyre is doing pretty well for himself now wrestling in underpants and wearing a kilt as he is the reigning WWE Champion. On Monday’s Raw, he granted Sheamus a future shot at the title after Sheamus turned on him. 

If you missed anything from WWE Raw, check out Fightful’s full report on the show by clicking here. 

If you use any of the quotes above, please give a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.