“This is what I’ve always been preparing for. Before I wasn’t ready, but my journey prepared me to be the top guy. The boss has got a saying that, ‘Sometimes you’ve got to eat crap and learn to like the taste.’ I’ve eaten banquets of crap, and I’ve learned from it and I fought through it. I can lead the company in any situation, especially the difficult one we are in right now.”
McIntyre’s huge moment did not happen in front of 80,00o screaming fans as planned, but instead an empty arena due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
“I was thinking about all the people that wanted to be at WrestleMania but couldn’t, I was thinking about all the people who made sacrifices for me to be in that position, I was thinking about my mom and I was thinking about my wife.”
“I wanted to bring WrestleMania to the world during an especially difficult time. I went into that match with Brock exactly as I would have had there been 80,000 people. I looked into Brock’s eyes, which is pretty intimidating, and I treated the match with the same intensity. When I was presented the title, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it was in my hands. I couldn’t believe Brock Lesnar was just lying there. It was a moment to remember, and that was a moment for everyone.”
Since this year’s WrestleMania was taped ahead of time, McIntyre was able to watch his big moment from the comfort of his couch like everyone else.
“Watching at home was a surreal experience. I was having an out-of-body experience watching on the couch.”
McIntyre went on to explain how much it meant to him to earn the respect of Brock Lesnar.
“Brock is a man’s man, he won’t do business with you if he thinks you’re not doing the job you should be doing. Brock is a very private person, he doesn’t like people too much, but he’s all about respect. To have earned his respect means a lot.”
Two other people that McIntyre was happy to have earned the respect of are Triple H and WWE owner and CEO Vince McMahon.
“He was happy for me, he knows the journey I’ve been through and how hard I’ve worked, and nobody works harder than Vince McMahon, so his respect means the world to me. Triple H was there too, and he’s the reason I’m back in WWE. Both of them believed in me, and it was very special to hear them say they’re proud of how far I’ve come as a performer and a man.”
McIntyre realizes now that he is the top guy of the WWE, that his work is just beginning.
“It’s been an incredible journey to get to the top and get the title, but this is when the hard work starts, WWE is still bringing original content. Our wrestlers and our crew behind the scenes worked so hard to make sure our fans were entertained during WrestleMania. We’re still bringing smiles to people’s faces. That’s fun during the easy times, but I’m going to make sure WWE is represented in the right way right now. It’s a tough time in the world and everyone is affected, so this is where I’ll step up and work even harder.”
