WWE Clash at the Castle: Drew McIntyre on Glasgow title fight

Drew McIntyre has headlined Wrestlemania and won world titles, but this Saturday in Glasgow will be one of the biggest nights of his life.

The wrestling star from Ayr has spent much of the past 17 years in the States, chasing his childhood dream. Now, the Ovo Hydro will host Clash At The Castle, the first WWE premium live event (PLE) to ever come from Scotland. It will be broadcast to a global audience of millions, and Drew will wrestle in the main event for the world title.

He says it’s beyond what he ever imagined. “I wish it was something that had crossed my mind, but it didn’t exist so I didn’t even fantasise about it,” he said. “I thought I’d come home and do shows, but I never thought there would be a time when a big TV event would be broadcast worldwide.

“To be coming back to Scotland for a PLE to be seen by millions on TV and potentially billions of times on social media blows my mind.”

Coming home

Drew has family coming from across Scotland and Ireland to see him in action.

“Usually they have to come to the States as the schedule is 52 weeks a year,” he said. He turned 39 last week and admits it gets harder to be away as the years pass.

“I was straight out of uni, 22 years old, when I first turned up on WWE TV. You feel you’re invincible. You’re not thinking life is short, but it is, and you don’t realise until you have to deal with it. I was back for my buddy Blair’s wedding before Christmas and there were a lot of people there I don’t see too much. I don’t see my dad in that environment very often – I remember him as a younger man in my head, so to see him and everyone getting older, to see people with kids, I felt guilty I’d missed so much.

“I always had the mentality that I had to sacrifice so much to chase my dream, but I saw my friends and family also sacrificed for me. I want to get that title and say, ‘This doesn’t make up for everything I’ve missed, but thank you for supporting me. This is the dream, to be champion of the world, and here’s the title’.”

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Drew recently signed a new contract with WWE which will allow him to return home more often. “It was very important to my wife and I to have that balance, because I’ve given everything to wrestling since I was a kid – and I will still give everything I can – but at this point in my life I need balance. The company was great, and we’ve found something that works for them and our family. We’re excited for the future.”

Scots in WWE

His success in WWE opened the door for several more Scots to join the roster – even if they needed to soften their accents.

“I spent so many years as the only one from Scotland and I was told I had to adjust my accent to be understood, so I worked on that and then got from back home – ‘Why are you talking like you’re from Hollywood?’” he laughed.

“Now there’s so many of us and some keep the accent, but others have the twang because Americans just don’t understand the accent. To see so many coming through is crazy – there’s more girls than guys. It’s tough mentally and physically, so you need to be a special kind of person.”

Drew is a big football fan – when Rangers won their 55th title in 2021, he arranged for a custom-made WWE belt to be sent to Ibrox, where it’s on display in the club museum – and he’s looking forward to catching Scotland’s opening Euros match on Friday while backstage for WWE TV show, Smackdown. “I’m wrestling Sheamus in a non-televised match, but I’ll be watching the game – on my phone if nothing else,” he added.

“The most exciting part about this is the world is getting to see the Scottish fans. I want everyone to be as loud as they can from the minute they’re in the building – this is a night when we’re all Scottish; we’re not blue or green or any other team’s colours – we have the Euros at the weekend and Drew McIntyre in a world title match.”

WWE Smackdown/Clash At The Castle, Ovo Hydro, Glasgow, Fri-Sat.