Drew McIntyre talks Tampa, working hurt, outside endeavors, more

[Chris]

WWE’s Drew McIntyre ready for a sort of homecoming in Tampa

The pro-wrestling headliner is ready for nights on the town — and a prime-time date with a steel cage at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

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The WWE returns to Tampa this weekend for three shows, which means it’s old home week for Drew McIntyre.

Not only will the three-time former world champion face Damian Priest in a prime-time steel-cage match at the Yuengling Center on Saturday, he’ll get to spend the weekend reliving memories in what he calls the city where he grew up.

“I really do consider Tampa my second hometown. I spent 12 years there,” said McIntyre, who now lives in Nashville. “I moved directly from Ayr, Scotland, at 21 years old, from university to America, and like me or hate me, the person I am today is a lot because of Tampa.”

The Yuengling Center will be the hub of WWE activity for the weekend, with Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC; NXT Battleground Sunday on Peacock and Monday Night Raw on Netflix.

McIntyre said he’s got a list of friends to visit during the weekend, but figures he’ll feel drawn to the SoHo district, where he has not only had good times, but major life events.

“I’m sure MacDinton’s will see me again,” McIntyre said, calling out an Irish pub in the Hyde Park neighborhood. “So many exciting, exciting things have happened to me there on Howard. It’s where I met my wife — at a place where (WWE colleague) Sheamus and I had been about 1,003 times prior to that.”

Inside the ring, McIntyre and Priest have had a violent feud for months, including a street fight at WrestleMania last month (won by McIntyre) and a skirmish during a Backlash match May 10 that saw Priest chokeslam McIntyre off a 15-foot platform through a pair of tables.

“I had some fun bar fights in Tampa in my 20s,” McIntyre said. “(Saturday) is going to resemble one of those bar fights. It’s going to be a freaking massacre.”

That slam through the tables at Backlash was a rough one. McIntyre’s head bounced off the floor, and observers in the arena said he was checked out by medics after the match. WWE officials said that night that McIntyre was “totally fine,” but 10 days later, McIntyre told the Sentinel, “I can’t turn my head all the way left yet.”

McIntyre is hurt, he said, but he isn’t injured — a crucial distinction for someone in his line of work.

“Working hurt is just what happens if you’re an athlete, especially as the years go by,” said the 39-year-old. “If you’re injured, it is something to take care of. Maybe back in the day, we would have taped it up and gone with it. In the past I have worked with muscle tears and breaks, which isn’t the most sensible thing, but the way we operate now, you want to last for the long run.”

McIntyre stays busier than many in his position. Besides the weekly wrestling grind, he has done more media interviews than most, especially back during the pandemic. He hosted 10 episodes of the talk show “Drew & A” on Peacock, talking with everyone from Matthew McConaughey to medium John Edward. And earlier this month, he was revealed as the new spokesman for Project Rock’s “You Against You” campaign, about overcoming self-doubt.

“I was doing a lot during the pandemic because I wanted to get as good as possible at this part of the job,” McIntyre said. “And now I’ve gotten so comfortable doing it that it’s 100% fun. This isn’t a job. This is my passion. I always wanted to be Peter Pan, and now I’ve officially grown up to be Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up who wears tights to work.”