Scottish warrior to put Reigns to the sword
‘ANGIE’ is a famous song by legendary rock band The Rolling Stones. Scottish warrior Drew McIntyre will be rocking to this famous song as September 3 draws near.
The 1.96m and two-time WWE champion has two reasons to.
Firstly, the WWE will hold their first stadium event in the UK in more than 30 years at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
McIntyre, who was born in Ayr, can expect overwhelming support from the 75 000 fans.
The 120kg sports entertainment star is set to take on Roman Reigns. The latter is the Universal champion (holds both Smackdown and Raw belts).
Secondly, his 2m sword, a close companion when he enters the ring, is named after his mother Angela, who died in 2012. She encouraged her son to never give up on his WWE quest to be the best.
McIntyre’s mother is now with him every time he walks to a WWE ring, thanks to the sword’s name.
For those wondering, yes McIntyre’s sword is real and remains sharp.
At the recent WrestleMania 38, McIntyre cut through the two top ropes.
He did this to keep opponent Happy Corbin’s buddy Madcap Moss from getting in on the action.
This was after McIntyre ensured Corbin would change his first name to Unhappy.
Last year in December McIntyre drove Angela through WWE official Adam Pearce’s desk. And no Angela didn’t ‘Pearce’ Adams’ side as Jesus’ was during his crucifixion.
The script writers at the eighth floor WWE headquarters at Titan Towers, Stamford, in the US, are already hard at work on a storyline for McIntyre taking on Reigns.
WWE CEO, founder and owner, billionaire Vince McMahon would be foolish to give a thumbs down to McIntyre’s bid to end Roman’s reign, be it for one belt or both.
The 77-year-old McMahon always has the final say when a bout is approved and what the outcome will be, even at the last minute.
Some of his wrestlers have on occasions done their own thing.
McMahon will only forgive them if they put on an exceptional performance. This also applies to bouts going over the allocated time particularly when it comes to pay for view events.
Fans must keep in mind that McIntyre beat Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar in 2020 to claim the WrestleMania crown, before losing it a year later to the mighty Bobby Lashley.
To be fair to McIntyre, he was distracted
by outside ring shenanigans, before he could finish off Lashley.
Since then the 36-year-old McIntyre’s career has been on the backburner. However, recent strong performances have reignited his career. This has been recognised by McMahon.
McIntyre is a strong character and is determined his image is not tampered with in any way. Evidence was provided at WrestleMania 38.
McIntyrew was scheduled to rock with a special ring entrance befitting the biggest wrestling show of the year
However, the grandiose walk-down was cancelled, with the former WWE Champion hitting the stage similar to how he would on a standard episode of Raw or SmackDown with Angela present.
WWE wasn’t behind the decision, though, and neither were WrestleMania 38’s reported timing issues. McIntyre made the call himself.
Drew felt like the things added to his ’Mania entrance didn’t enhance it in any way.
He wanted a stronger connection to the crowd rather than going for the over-the-top walk-down many opt for at ’Mania.
McIntyre’s entrance would have apparently featured several kilt-clad men brandishing swords, like Drew during his entrances.
Even though they weren’t used on the night, the people who were originally supposed to feature before McIntyre’s match with Corbin were paid regardless – and given all-access WrestleMania passes.
Back to upcoming live events in the UK and France, April 28 to May 1, don’t be surprised if McIntyre faces heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.
Fury has taken part in a WWE event (Crown Jewel) before. This was in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Fury caused a stir as as he chose traditional Saudi attire for his entrance into the arena. The 2.05m giant beat Braun Strowman.
The contest lasted eight minutes before Fury landed a right hand punch which sent Strowman flying out of the ring. Fury was paid $12 million. Not bad for eight minutes!
In a recent interview with BT Sport, McIntyre said: “He’s the one I’ve been talking the most about. We’ve been taking digs at each other for over two years now.
“I’ve said it over and over, this is a match that will draw the attention of not just the WWE and wrestling fans, but of the general public.
“I can’t think of anything bigger apart from a fight with Roman, and being around Fury I know how much he enjoys the WWE product.
“He has a real passion for WWE and entertainment. We can do some fun stuff.”
The next major WWE event is WrestleMania 38 Backlash on Sunday, May 8, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Centre (I kid you not) in Providence, Rhode Island.
Three bouts have already been confirmed:
SmackDown Women’s Championship “I Quit Match”: Charlotte Flair (champion) vs Ronda Rousey.
Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Unification Match: RK-Bro (champions) vs The Usos (champions).
Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes.