Drew McIntyre Says He Felt “Validated” By WrestleMania 40 World Title Win

Drew McIntyre recently sat down with Kenny McIntosh of Inside The Ropes to discuss his WrestleMania 40 World Heavyweight Championship victory, a moment he was finally able to share with fans and his family.

Four years after winning his first WWE Championship in an empty Performance Center, McIntyre got his long-awaited moment in front of a packed crowd, defeating Seth Rollins to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Reflecting on his journey, McIntyre acknowledged the stark contrast between his two title wins and how far he has come:

“Yeah, I did think about that. I mean, I’m basically the only one that still does. It was nice of Cody to half-arsedly mention it on SmackDown when we were talking—before he told me to go screw myself after I put myself out in front of the world. He’s somebody that doesn’t forget because he’s been on a very similar journey as myself to get where he’s at now, and he appreciates what’s come before, rather than just thinking, ‘What have you done for me lately?’

Unfortunately, a lot of people have that attitude. This was it. We got the title match at WrestleMania, my family was going to be there, and I was going to make sure I had that moment with the title. But at the time, with the mindset of the fans completely turning on me for nothing—just because they liked the other guy more—even though Drew was there for them during the tough times? Didn’t matter. ‘What have you done for me lately?’ It was still awesome.”

When asked about being part of a top storyline at WrestleMania 40, McIntyre spoke about the validation he felt and how he made the most of his short-lived championship reign, calling it a special moment despite the outcome:

“I felt validated in Philadelphia at ’Mania to have that moment. I made the absolute most of it after I won the match, with the fans chanting ‘You deserve it.’ Wish it was ‘You’ve earned it,’ because I certainly felt like I had earned that moment. But nonetheless, I was happy about it.

I had a moment with Seth. We’re not like Punk and I—it’s not a personal rivalry. It’s a very professional rivalry, where one believes they’re better than the other and everybody else wants to lead the charge. It’s good to have that kind of friendly competition.

Then I was able to present the title to my wife, who was such a big part of the journey. That wasn’t planned—I just went with how I felt at the moment. That five minutes after the pinfall was still very special, still counts, and is something that will always stick with me… before everything went horribly wrong in front of the world.”