Drew McIntyre says before Triple H called him to go back to WWE, he had his sights set on New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Drew McIntyre is currently at the top of the WWE mountain, but he didn't get there overnight. Once the ?Chosen One? of WWE, Drew McIntyre would lose favor and be moved down to the bottom of the card before leaving WWE in 2014.
After his WWE release, Drew McIntyre went back to the independent scene and honed his skills in EVOLVE, ICW, IMPACT Wrestling, and all across the world, before he received a call to come back to WWE in 2017.
In a new interview with Sports Illustrated, Drew McIntyre reveals that right before he returns to WWE, he was looking to head overseas to Japan and test his skills against some of the top superstars in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
?Before Hunter called me to come back to WWE, the place I was going next was Japan,? revealed McIntyre. ?My style would be perfect there and I could learn so much. The two opponents on the top of my list were Tanahashi and Okada. Ospreay would be great, as well. I wrestled him outside of WWE in a couple of my favorite matches. But still, I have to go with Tanahashi and Okada.?
Currently, Drew is on top of the mountain on WWE Monday Night Raw and engaged in a feud with Bobby Lashley. He recently defeated Lashley at Backlash 2020 to retain his WWE Championship.