During a recent interview with Esquire Middle East, WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre commented on his match with Big E. for the WWE Championship at tomorrow’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view event, wanting his title back, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On challenging for the title at Crown Jewel: “It’s very different now. I am now a two-time WWE Champion at this point, going for my third title. It’s my last opportunity before I move to SmackDown since I’ve been officially drafted to SmackDown, so it’s maybe the last chance to get my hands on the WWE title. On Monday, Big E told me he gets it now, he understands what it’s like being champion, an incredible feeling, an adrenaline rush—I’m saying the way I would say it, but he described it as juices flowing down his face and body or the way Big E would describe something—but he was saying he understands what it’s like to be champion. Now he can relate to me, knows why I want to be champion again and I had to remind him I don’t know what that feels like.”
On being a challenger now instead of champion: “I was champion at a very different time from today. I don’t know the rush of the live fans I don’t know what it’s like to hear my voice over the fury, feel the eyeballs, sit next to the crowd and experience it live, because when I was champion, It was during difficult times for the world. But as I told him, it’s the proudest times of my career, proudest times in my life, when the world shut down and we pushed ahead to give the world some original content, give them an escape every single week and I got to be WWE Champion and even though I missed those live fan reactions for the biggest moments of my career, and I would never take it back and I’m so proud of that time. At the same time, I’m still chasing that moment. And I’ve got the opportunity at Crown Jewel, to get that moment against Big E on such a big event, and as much as I admire and respect him, he’s earned the title, I want it back and it’s my last opportunity.”
On his expectations for the match with Big E: “Oh, it’s going to be a heck of a match. I’m very excited about it. No matter what has happened between us the last few weeks, I respect Big E and everything he’s been through. He has had his own journey just like I’ve had my journey, he had to overcome a lot to get to the place where he’s a champion and a champion that everyone can point at and say, this guy’s earned it. He doesn’t just deserve it. He’s earned it. And he’s very good at what he does. When we get in there, we’re going to be dropping bombs, throwing some hard strikes at each other. And that’s going to happen across the card. This is a very exciting show in all the matches. I’m personally excited about, as a fan, you look at Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. They’re going to be physical as hell. Sasha and Becky and Bianca will be incredible for several reasons. this is an incredible card from top to bottom and I’m very excited to be part of it and very excited to steal the show.”