Drew McIntyre Talks Using A Sword In The Ring, Says “It’s About Technique”

In a recent interview with Cheap Heat, Drew McIntyre shared some details about wielding a sword during WrestleMania 38 and the nuances of creating a memorable moment for the audience (via Fightful). According to McIntyre, all the variables in the match worked out for a successful cut, despite his earlier worries regarding the execution during practice. You can find a few highlights from McIntyre and listen to the full podcast below.

On the lead-up to the incorporation of the sword element: “We did try to do the rope spot for a SmackDown, during the day I tried and it didn’t work so we just shelved it. Leading up to WrestleMania a couple of years ago, I was facing Corbin, I was like ‘We need something else, there’s not enough steam put into this match. We need a moment for people to remember.’ For this WrestleMania, I was frustrated considering I was [challenging for] the title a year prior and I went to Vince (McMahon) and asked him, I was like, ‘Hey, that spot we did, I think I can pull it off.’ He was like, ‘If you can do it, we can work on it but you don’t want a WrestleMania moment where you swing a sword at the ropes, what happened last time? It doesn’t work. Millions of people [will] just watch you bounce the sword off the rope, that’s not exactly the top babyface to have.'”

On how the spot worked out at the match itself: “We got to the day of Mania. I’m backstage practicing with our sword team, they’ve got a rope tied around the ring post pulling it as tight as they can. I’m trying to hit it, it’s not about power, it’s about technique and you have to [hit] that rope at the right angle. I was getting about six out of ten and I was getting worried close to the match, [it was] a little concerning. It’s WrestleMania, tens of millions of people are watching across the world and I’m gonna look like a buffoon. They basically gave me the option to take the risk and [asked me] if I wanted to do this or not, I said, ‘Damn right I wanna do it. If not, I’ll laugh it off somehow.’ Madcap was great and did it in a way where I wasn’t running and swinging it, I was controlled as possible. He moved out of the way at the last second to give me the perfect positioning for the best chance of success and thank goodness it didn’t just go through the top rope, it went through the second rope and almost through the third rope. It looked awesome and it was a great visual, I did the pose afterward.”