Drew McIntyre – “I Felt Like I Flatlined & That Was Frustrating”

Drew McIntyre always wants to be moving forward in his career.

The Scottish Warrior is due to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, continuing a rivalry that began ahead of WrestleMania 39. On the Grandest Stage Of Them All, McIntyre and Sheamus unsuccessfully tried to end the Ring General’s historic reign with the title in a Triple Threat match that was as violent as it was acclaimed.

Following the bout, though, McIntyre disappeared from WWE TV amid speculation that he was frustrated with his creative direction and considering leaving the company once his contract expired in 2024. However, the two-time WWE Champion made his comeback at Money In The Bank in London, confronting Gunther before making his intentions clear by dropping the Austrian star with a ‘Glasgow Kiss’ headbutt.

During a recent interview on the Stay Busy podcast, McIntyre was positive about the upcoming bout, although he admitted that it hadn’t all been plain sailing.

“I feel good. I wish we had more time to build it a little bit. The good thing is, I know people are just excited of the idea of Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre. That’s helpful that people want to see the match to begin with. You don’t have to build to make them want to see it. He needs an opponent that is a genuine threat. I need an opponent that is interesting and different and people want to see.

“I feel like there was a minute where McIntyre was kind of floating, which I never want to be doing, I always want to be moving up. There was a period where I felt like I flatlined and that was frustrating, but it led into the Sheamus thing and the Sheamus, Gunther, McIntyre thing.”

I wish we had a little more time to tell the story – Drew McIntyre on his SummerSlam match with Gunther

McIntyre went on to say that he would have liked more time for the pair to build the match, but believes they’ve been able to make the most of the time they did get.

“I wish we had a little more time to tell the story, but thankfully we’ve maximized the little time we’ve had with each other. He is such a force right now, it doesn’t need much storytelling to tell King Kong vs. Godzilla.

“I’ve been able to come back, have the moment where I put him through the table after he was so dominant and stand before him and let him know, ‘You may have been dominant with everyone else, but you’ve gotten a little bit big for your britches. I’m Drew McIntyre, the same guy that has beaten Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Goldberg and a list of opponents a mile long. You’re about to get a wake-up call and you might not get to break Honky Tonk Man’s record because Drew McIntyre is looking for his moment with a title in front of fans.'”

While his sights are currently set on the Intercontinental Championship, McIntyre has also spoken of the possibility of a first-time match with Cody Rhodes, saying a rivalry with his former tag team partner would be “money” when the time is right.

H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.