Drew McIntyre Recalls What He Was Thinking While Staring Down Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania 36
After winning the WWE Championship, Drew McIntyre made sure to inform the fans, who were watching around the world, that he could feel their support. He did so by looking directly into the camera before the show ended. In the WWE, the Superstars are not supposed to make direct contact with the camera because it breaks the fourth wall principle. During his career-changing moment, McIntyre was too overjoyed to fully think about that.
"I don't think our Superstars plan what they're going to do in big moments. I certainly don't. It's all about feeling," McIntyre noted. "Generally, we play off of the WWE Universe in the arena. Their emotions affect our emotions. Going into that match, it was weird being in the back because you can't hear the crowd, etc. But as soon as my music hit, I was in the zone.
"I went out there and then Brock [Lesnar] came out. I looked into his eyes. That's a scary man. He was focused and was ready to go. He had his game face on. No matter the situation, he was ready to fight, and I was ready to fight. That was my favorite moment; when we locked eyes. If you could've read my mind, I was like, 'If you're going to pull any funny business Brock, I'll drop you right now.' Then we had the match. I kicked out of the F-5's, F-5's F-5's and that was making him angrier, angrier and angrier. I got back up, landed three Claymore's, and beat Brock Lesnar within five minutes. And then, that's when I had, I guess, a personal moment. You don't see our Superstars have those personal moments because of the adrenaline from the fans. You don't have that moment until you're back at the hotel. When you're at the hotel and you're alone, you have that real emotion. But, the WWE Universe got to share that personal moment with me. As I was kneeling over Brock Lesnar I realized, 'Oh yeah, there's millions of people watching right now.' I'm just off in my own little Drew world.
"Then, I saw the camera, and we're not supposed to look into the camera because it's called breaking the fourth wall...But, at that moment, I wanted the world to know that I'm thankful for them supporting me. In my journey, I wanted to thank them for choosing the WWE and to take their mind off of things this weekend. When I looked into the camera, I was on the ropes and I told them 'You're here with me right now.' That wasn't the plan, but that's how I felt. I'm glad they kept it in there, because I meant every single word of it."
Many years ago, Vince McMahon went on record by saying that McIntyre was going to be a future World Champion. Looking back on that statement now, McIntyre feels like an ideal champion. He's glad he was given time to reinvent himself, so that he can be the champion he was destined to be in 2020.
"Now, I feel confidant to be a champion because all of the experiences I've been through," McIntyre answered. "When Mr. McMahon said I was going to be a future World Champion, and probably wanted me to have the title at that time [in 2009], it probably would have not gone well. Some of the guys in similar situations as me, with similar experiences as me, got that opportunity, and it didn't go well.
"With this journey and its ups and downs, both personally and professionally, being the man that I am today, I'm ready for whatever is presented to me. I want to be the top guy. There's nothing you can present to me that I can't handle. I'm so proud to be champion. You know, when times are difficult, that's when the leaders stand up and I'm ready for it."
You can view McIntyre's full interview above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.