Drew McIntyre On Coming To WWE: "I Didn't See Any Other Avenue Than Going To NXT First"
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre spoke with Sky Sports about the decision making process of returning to WWE. His initial conversations with Triple H were clear on wanting to go to NXT first.
"I didn't see any other avenue than going to NXT first," McIntyre said. "I was doing a lot of work for different companies outside of WWE and my [contracts] would lapse and I was trying to decide what the next move should be. My wife and I were talking about the possibilities of Japan and being a free agent, and during this period I had a conversation with Triple H and I let him know my feelings – I said 'If I come back I feel like I should go to NXT first.'"
McIntyre said his introduction in NXT focused on his present state, rather than trying to go back to his first run with the company. Feeling he had more to offer in NXT, McIntyre would move to the main roster once he felt the time was right.
"[Triple H] agreed to introduce the audience to who I am now rather than who I was prior as it is a similar audience, a very educated audience," McIntyre said. "I felt as though I could make a difference to NXT as one individual can make a difference there, as I had done for so many different companies when I wasn't with WWE. So I didn't see any other route than through NXT and being a leader there and, when was the time was right, moving on to Monday Night Raw."
Back in July, McIntyre appeared on Lillian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast and gave some more details about how he decided to start with NXT.
"[NXT] was what I wanted," McIntyre said. "I told my wife in the beginning when NXT really started catching fire, 'You know what babe, ideal when I go back there first, if I do my thing here and I get a reputation in the independent scene, then I believe I can get an angle to NXT because it's such a passionate fan base. I think that would be the place for me to go to really show what I can do. And then when the time is right, because the transition is so much smoother from NXT to Raw and SmackDown because it moves so fast. Raw and SmackDown, there's so many hours of unique TV every single week all year round.'"
McIntyre is scheduled to team up with Braun Strowman and Dolph Ziggler to go against The Shield at WWE Super Show-Down on October 6.