Drew McIntyre On How His WWE Release Helped His Career

In an interview with SportBible, Drew McIntyre spoke about his departure from WWE in 2014 and how it helped his wrestling career. Here are highlights:

On how he reacted to his WWE release: “I saw being released as an opportunity, and thought ‘Right Drew here you go, you can either be miserable or really show the world what you can do. Take everything you’ve [learned] and apply it.'”

On becoming more valuable: “I applied everything I [learned] and traveled across the world, became the busiest wrestler on the entire planet. I built my brand and during that time I grew up a lot, as a man, but I also learned a lot as a professional – how to be a main event guy, how to conduct myself in every possible way and apply everything I’d learned in WWE. And by the time ICW got to the level it got to, everywhere I went to got to a level that it didn’t need me anymore to keep growing. Everyone was ready, all the roster was ready, the company was ready and it was time for me to return home. So it was perfect timing and the perfect opportunity. And then I became NXT champion so it really worked out.”

On his arm injury: “I’m feeling good. [ICW Hall of Fame] is my first public appearance so when everybody sees me they can judge for themselves if they think I’m ready to be back in the ring because I’ve got my sights set on the world.”