Missing 2019 Manila tour, Drew McIntyre wants another PH trip — with title belt in tow

An injury sidelined him from WWE's last Manila trip, but he's raring to get back
Jul 8, 2021
PHOTO: WWE

TRUTH be told, Drew McIntyre was supposed to be part of the roster who flew out to Manila for a WWE live event back in September 2019.

"I was supposed to be in the Philippines in Manila in 2019," he bared in a media roundtable on Thursday. "But I got an injury and I was so disappointed because I've never been there before."

It's unfortunate that a minor injury robbed McIntyre of the experience of heading to the Philippines as the roster delivered a show at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

That card was headlined by Kofi Kingston, who retained his WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan, and Bayley, who successfully defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair.

McIntyre, for his part, did go under the knife, and after a two-month hiatus, returned to action in October.

That missed experience, though, is something that still eats him up to this day.

Drew McIntyre

"I've always heard the cool stories from everybody on the roster, and I'm so freaking jealous that I've not been there," he said.

But with the world slowly opening up, the Scottish warrior is hopeful that a visit to the country will soon be on the horizon as the WWE starts touring again with the COVID-19 restrictions slowly easing up worldwide.

"Going forward, I'm so excited to get back to touring and obviously, we're starting with America. But I'm excited to announce the partial UK tour and I'm very excited to start touring the world again," he said.

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    WWE champ misses the live fans

    A big plus of any wrestler's career is having the fans watching them inside the stadiums — one that McIntyre sorely missed in his two reigns as WWE Champion in the pandemic era. He first won the belt at the WWE Performance Center, and later on, inside the WWE Thunderdome.

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    "When it comes to the live crowd, the thing is you can never know what to expect, expect the unexpected. That's what I'm excited about," he said.

    McIntyre loves the unpredictability of a live experience.

    "People who are supposed to be good are getting booed, and people supposed to be bad are getting cheered. I might come out there and get the mixed reaction, I might get booed, I might get cheered, I don't know," he said. "I'm excited about it and I've been doing it long enough that nothing fazes me, and hopefully none of our superstars get taken aback or their feelings hurt or whatever it is."

    Drew McIntyre

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    The volatility of fans in the squared circle drives McIntyre's own performance and his approach to the WWE.

    He explained: "It's been so long since I've had those live fans and that's the best thing about our fans, what makes it such an exciting watch is you don't know how the fans are going to react. They should have their own roster page because it's so unpredictable, and that's what makes them so awesome because they're so passionate.

    "So I'm just excited to go with the flow, and that's why I never have like a script as such when I go out there. I like to go out there and just feel what's going on, and then navigate the waters in my matches and promos just based off of the feeling of the crowd, and I've missed that for the past year and a half."

    Drew McIntyre in Manila? He wants it to happen

    That, however, is just one of those bucket list items McIntyre has as he turns his attention to winning the Money in the Bank briefcase on July 18 and hopefully, get himself back at the top of the mountain.

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    "I think I have to win Money in the Bank, that's my first thing," he said. "I just don't imagine and can't imagine what I will do character-wise if I'm not able to compete for the title. I've realistically been in the title scene in a long time, like 18 months, 14 straight pay-per-views as champion or fighting for the title, and that is unheard of these days. There's a lot of Drew on your screens. So ideally, win the Money in the Bank and cash in on a champion of my choosing is the immediate goal."

    Drew McIntyre

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    And if he does just that, McIntyre will be looking ahead to show that he really is the top dog and bring that title worldwide, including the Philippines.

    "I'm so excited to get back to touring. Hopefully, I get my hands on that title because I can't wait for the very first time I actually get to the Philippines," he said. "I'll be there eventually. Hopefully, I'll have that title in my hands and I can't wait to be there live. That's certainly on my list of goals."

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    PHOTO: WWE
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