Drew McIntyre sparked significant conversation after walking out of The Busted Open Radio Holiday Party during an emotional discussion about the sacrifices he’s made for his career. McIntyre, speaking with Dave LaGreca, Bubba Ray Dudley, Mark Henry, and Tommy Dreamer, reflected on his time away from WWE following Bad Blood, where he took an extended break to focus on his family.
During the candid conversation, McIntyre opened up about the toll his commitment to wrestling has taken on his personal life:
McIntyre stated, “I felt a few months ago, I would be happy. I’ve always given to this industry, probably too much and I never really felt like I got too much back. And I would be over the moon if I thought people were following suit and it’d be good for the industry and for the future. To be completely honest after Hell in a Cell I went back home, a close family member died. I don’t care about the staples in my head, all that s**t. I can get over that. I don’t care about the injuries. I’ve showed up with broken bones, never told the office and worked right through it. But I’ve never had true time at home ever, in 17 years. I’ve only ever been home when there’s a wrestling show, I’ve missed weddings birthdays, some funerals just for this industry. My mum passed, I was back at work after a couple of weeks. I never truly dealt with it. And going home this time and spending real time with my family, I realized I might have made a mistake.
“I’ve given and given and given to this industry, and it’s taken and taken from my real family. I’m trying to keep it together in respect to everybody sitting with me right now, but as much as we’re on the road and we call each other family, that’s a matter of convenience. I was with my real family and when I was gone for three months. I can count on pretty one finger how many people checked in, like ‘How you doing Drew?’ And it really opened my eyes.
I tried to stay away from social media. I see things like someone cuts a one-minute promo and ‘That’s the best promo of the year!’ ‘What have you done for me lately?’ The same old crap. And it occurred to me why are we playcating so much to the smart marks, to internet fans, when did things change? I realized it’s when we started letting the marks into the locker room. I truly hate to say this, but I gave and gave and gave, and as far as wrestling on TV is concerned, I’m gonna take and take and take. Tomorrow morning, I’m still gonna be out there helping the homeless, things that really mean something. But when it comes to Drew McIntyre on TV, Drew McIntyre in general, I really hate to say this ‘cause I didn’t believe it until I saw the proof right in front of my face, the lack of contact, and the look in my family’s face, and realizing everything that I’ve missed, that I’m just gonna take from now on. When I’m gonna leave this industry, I won’t be one of those guys when I was a kid in the locker room during the indies that were just chasing that last paycheck, just chasing that last shot at glory, “Please remember me.” When I leave, when I retire, I’ll have accomplished everything. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Mark Henry, Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, Drew McIntyre, Stone Cold Steve Austin. When you’re gone, they move on, they forget. And it sucks, but it’s true. So as far as I’m concerned when it comes to the internet, I don’t give a f**k about your opinion.”
McIntyre will face Sami Zayn this Saturday at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Long Island, NY.
Drew McIntyre just dropped the mic and walked off the set after delivering some of the most real and unfiltered truth we’ve ever heard.
(Busted Open Raido) pic.twitter.com/WFH0s8MGdy
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) December 13, 2024
Fuck you for making me do this. pic.twitter.com/SfC8vGgrYj
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) December 13, 2024
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
