Drew McIntyre explains how his match with Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel made him less compassionate of his opponents. One WWE Hall of Famer is a big fan of this new version of McIntyre. Mick Foley is a fun and lovable teddy bear now, but it hasn’t always been the case. Back in his WWF/WWE days and especially with his Mankind character there was no one more terrifying. If anyone can recognize the need to do whatever it takes to win a match, it’s Foley.
On a recent episode of WWE’s The Bump, Mick Foley talked about how this new version of Drew McIntyre reminds him of McIntyre when he first left WWE. Foley had this to say about the new version of McIntyre:
“What I see in you, Drew, right now, whether you realize it or not, you are reinventing yourself to a more legitimate version of Drew McIntyre. It reminds me of when you left WWE the first time. Remember, you reached out to me and you were like, ‘Mick, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’ve got something I’m doing. I’d really like your feedback.’
“It was so impressive, that the first thing I did, and I’m not a guy who bothers Triple H too much, I texted Triple H and I said, ‘I know he just left here, but you need to keep your eye on Drew McIntyre. He’s like an entirely different human being.’ And now it feels like you are becoming a different version of yourself and I dare say, a better version of yourself. So if you can grab that gold, which I believe you can, I don’t think you’re relinquishing it for a long time. I believe in you, Drew.”
Taking Out Former Bloodline Members In The WWE
A prime example of this new version of McIntyre is his attack of Sami Zayn last week on Raw. After their match, Zayn was in the back recovering and McIntyre attacked him and stomped on his leg. The attack injured Zayn and he will be out until he can recover.
RELATED: Seth Rollins Reflects on His Controversial Reaction to Seeing CM Punk Return to WWE
McIntyre wants his revenge on everyone who has wronged him in the past. He fully admits that his attack of Zayn was because of Zayn formerly being a part of The Bloodline and also Zayn mentioning his family. He hasn’t forgotten how The Bloodline cost him his match with Roman Reigns just when he was about to put Reigns out for the count.
This new less forgiving version of McIntyre isn’t something which just suddenly appeared. It has been brewing in him for a while and the first step occurred at Crown Jewel in his match with Seth Rollins. During the match he had Rollins right where he wanted him, but he hesitated. McIntyre describes the moment and how it cost him the match:
“I had an opportunity to win the world title. I saw him down on the mat, I saw him struggling and in pain. I had this feeling of compassion and sympathy come over me, knowing how hard he’s worked to make that title. He truly is the workhorse champion in WWE. He has made that title relevant. I thought about that, I thought about his little girl we see so much backstage and instead of hitting the Claymore like I should of. I felt the need to tell him ‘it’s ok, you’ve done a great job, but it’s over’ and what happened? He slapped me across the face, as he should have.”
No More Mr. Nice Guy
After that match McIntyre realized that he had to stop all the sympathy and compassion. He is now willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done in WWE and thinks he has regained his killer instinct.
RELATED: Former WWE Superstar Tyler Breeze Says Big Return To Wrestling Is “Really Fun”
The WWE Universe learned this week on Raw that McIntyre will have another shot at Rollins and his World Heavyweight Championship. The two men will face off on the special Day 1 edition of Raw on January 1. McIntyre explained his philosophy this time around after he was asked what is different about him now:
“ I think I already covered that. I had the match won. I had compassion, sympathy. Let the match slip through my fingertips right in the moment that I should’ve struck. I didn’t strike and you can’t do that with someone as good as Seth Rollins and it cost me and now not only willing to do whatever it takes. I’m willing to do so much more.”
McIntyre has been much more focused since his loss at Crown Jewel. He truly has been willing to do whatever it takes to get the win and this includes teaming up with The Judgement Day at Survivor Series: WarGames. Teaming up with Judgement Day is something he would have never been willing to do even three months ago. This new version is so dangerous and everyone on the roster needs to take notice.
What do you think of this new version of Drew McIntyre? Is this the best version of McIntyre in the WWE? Do you think he has regained his killer instinct? Do you think he has what it takes to defeat Seth Rollins now? Let us know on social media if you think this new version can even take down the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns.
KEEP READING: WWE Icon Booker T Wants to See Two Fellow Icons Face Off in an Epic Matchup
Sources: WWE’s The Bump, Wrestling Inc.
