Drew McIntyre On How Things Got "Terrible" After Vince McMahon Named Him His "Chosen One"

WWE star Drew McIntyre sat down with Sky Sports to talk about being drafted to Smackdown and his return to the UK during WWE's recent tour. A native of Scotland, McIntyre hasn't been to the UK since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and he described the emotions of his return.

"It was pretty emotional," McIntyre said. "There's a video out there you can probably find of when I saw my dad and brother for the first time in almost two years. My brother and I held it together pretty good, but my dad is a big emotional wreck at the best of times. He got a little bit emotional. But it was wild that we hadn't seen each other for that long, and it's cool that we have it on video and we can remember that moment that we got to see each other for the first time (in years).

"I saw my nephew, whose three, who I'd only seen two times prior. He looks like a human now, a little man, instead of a big ball of fat. And he's talking now. It was fun to see everybody. We had a nice family dinner the day after the show. My wife was there for the trip, and we got to stay a couple extra days and catch up with everybody. For this next tour, especially in Liverpool which is close to Scotland, I'll probably have my dad come along too."

For McIntyre, it's a mix of emotions changing brands, as he feels he largely found himself in WWE on RAW. However, going to Smackdown gives him a chance to go full circle, as he spent much of his first run in WWE on the blue brand.

"For me, getting drafted, I almost felt like a traitor," McIntyre said. "Then I returned to WWE, I was in NXT initially, and then I returned to Monday Night RAW. And there's where I found myself, made my connection with the fans, became two time WWE Champion, was the face of RAW and was really synonymous with RAW. When you thought Drew McIntyre, you thought Monday Night RAW. Then when I get drafted to Smackdown, I was like 'wow, I kind of feel guilty.' Even though it wasn't my choice that I'm leaving RAW, I'm leaving my place. But sometimes it's good to get a fresh coat of paint.

"And realistically that's where it all started for Drew McIntyre. I was signed to WWE in 2007, the first ever Scotsman signed straight to WWE from Scotland. I was on Smackdown my second week in America. They realized I wasn't quite ready yet, gave me some time in developmental to get ready. I returned to Smackdown as Vince McMahon's chosen one, was announced by Vince on television as the future of the company, a future world champion. Everything was going amazing, couldn't have gone any better, until it went terrible and everything fell a part professionally and personally. And it all happened on Smackdown. So for me it's a chance to put right what once went wrong. Like Quantum Leap. Everything's come full circle. I'm back on Smackdown and I'm going to make things right."

You can watch the full interview below.