Drew McIntyre Says Triple H Came Up With ‘I Prayed For This’ Line, ‘My Idea Would’ve Offended People’

After CM Punk suffered a triceps injury in the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble, Drew McIntyre famously said, “I prayed for this, and it happened.”

The line became a meme, used by others when their prayers came true.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, McIntyre explained that was the PG version of his promo.

“I knew talking to Triple H during the day that this is going to be so good. I had an idea and it was too much. It would have offended a lot of people, which I’m very good at. He helped me reel it back, and then Hunter himself came out with the line, which I ended up using because I had such an extreme version, and he dialed it back and the way he said it and the cadence of how it’s to be said. He said it like that, and I got so excited. He’s obviously a savant when it comes to this business. Sometimes though he comes out with [things]; I went, how do you think of that? But it was like, that is genius, and oh my god, that is going to be so good. I know as a fan, I would lose my mind. Didn’t think I’d be seeing it to this day for everything, no matter what. It’s sports, it’s outside of wrestling, it’s constantly me pointing, ‘I prayed for this, and it happened.’ But I knew in that moment when Hunter delivered the line back to me by toning me down a little bit. I went, wow, that is genius. Because I’m going to use that exact tone. The promo itself, I was being sympathetic, I believe, because Punk had got injured, and I understand what it’s like to have things taken away from me, and I’ve been injured before, and I’ve lost in my life in the ring and out of the ring, and I can get real personal. But I hate that son of a bitch, and I’m going to say it in the exact same tone all the way through till people go, wait, what? His face goes, what? I drop his ass. So yeah, that’s cool. I mean, those promos, that feud, they voted it the best feud of the 2020s.”

McIntyre and Punk would feud throughout 2024, which culminated in Hell in a Cell at WWE Bad Blood.

McIntyre has been off WWE TV since WrestleMania 42. Fans can see what he’s been up to by clicking here.