Drew McIntyre On The Rock's Recent Praise, Learning From The Undertaker And Shane McMahon, More

We noted a few weeks back how The Rock praised Drew McIntyre as one that could be the next big Superstar in WWE, while doing media for the new Hobbs & Shaw movie. Drew recently spoke with TV Insider and said the praise from The Great One was unexpected.

"It was unexpected," McIntyre said of The Rock's praise. "Over the last few years, I've tried to push myself inside and outside the ring. The Rock is somebody I look to for motivation in general. If you follow him on social media, and when you meet him, he is such a genuine person. He works so hard, which is why he achieves everything he achieves. It's a big inspiration to me to have that kind of backing from somebody I admire so much. That kind of validation means I'm on the right track."

Drew also talked about learning from The Undertaker during their recent interactions, and said he's gotten a lot out of his recent alliance with Shane McMahon.

"You can't help but learn from those situations," Drew said. "I had a big opportunity to work with The Undertaker once 10 years ago, but I was around him all the time. He was pretty much a mentor to me. I learned so much from him back in the day, and it's great to have him back now when I'm on a different thinking level.

"I'm at a point where I understand everything now he is talking about, and it doesn't sound like riddles like it used to when I was a kid. I didn't quite understand how the business worked quite yet. Working with Shane ? someone where this is his life, he has grown up in this industry, he is able to teach me things in there I don't even think about ? to have the opportunity to work with these guys is an incredible experience. The truth is if you look at our roster now, there really aren't many guys who have been around for a long, long time. Guys to learn from. So any chance I get to learn something that I can pass onto the next generation, I'm very happy. And who better for me to learn from than 'Taker and Shane?"

Regarding WWE hiring Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman to work as Executive Directors for RAW and SmackDown, McIntyre said he's excited to see what they bring to the company.

"Paul Heyman is someone who I've worked with and gotten advice from over the years. He is somebody that understands Drew Galloway, Drew McIntyre, better than I do sometimes," McIntyre said. "I'm very excited that Paul is going to have more pull it sounds like because he breathes this industry and knows me very well. I had the opportunity to study under his protege Gabe Sapolsky at Evolve. Getting the opportunity to work with Gabe on such a high level as the Evolve champion and represent the company, then work with Paul, it's pretty cool. I'm also excited to see what Eric Bischoff brings to the table. Obviously, he was involved in one of the biggest boom periods and angles in the history of our industry. He has that creative mind and understands the way a television network works. He is a huge asset to the company."