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Drew McIntyre's Aggression Ended His Football Career And Led To WWE Stardom

Drew McIntyre's Aggression Ended His Football Career And Led To WWE Stardom

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre managed to switch careers to a field where hurting an opponent is legal.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre called time on his footballing ventures because his anger was getting the better of him.

The 36-year-old from Ayr in Scotland, grew up as a massive Rangers fan and idolised legendary striker Ally McCoist.

Although he was working towards making it as wrestler in the big leagues, McIntyre played Sunday League on a regular basis as a youngster.

But while technically and athletically gifted, his aggressive tendencies ultimately meant he had to hang up the football boots and trade them for some wrestling ones.

Image: WWE
Image: WWE

The Scottish Warrior recalled two incidents where he lost his head and decided it would be best to enter a field where the ultimate goal was to hurt an opponent and it was entirely legal to do so inside the ring.

"I played until I was 16, the WWE was always my goal but the more unlikely goal was to play for Rangers," McIntyre told SPORTbible.

"My last ever game I got a yellow card for a two-footed challenge that I should have been sent off for but I remember I got sent off because this idiot kicked the ball around me and tried to go this way and knocked himself out on my shoulder.

"I got a little bit upset. I tried to fight the ref, I took my shirt off and threw it at him, I called him a bunch of names and got dragged off the pitch by multiple people.

"Then I decided maybe I'll focus on the wrestling now."

Putting all his energy into wrestling has paid off for McIntyre, who made history by becoming the first ever British WWE champion last year when he beat Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania.

Image: WWE
Image: WWE

Mixing it up with a legitimate former UFC and NCAA champion brought the best out of McIntyre, but back in the day he had to learn to channel that raging anger on the football pitch.

He continued: "My manager would always say, 'make Drew angry because he plays better when he's angry', the opposition would say we need to get him angry so that he gets himself sent off.

"There was like a middle ground of anger where I played really good but didn't get myself sent off."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Given he's a physical specimen at 6 ft 5, one might expect the two-time WWE champ to have played as a traditional target man who dominated defenders in the air.

But surprisingly, McIntyre wasn't actually all that great when it came to heading.

"They wanted me in defence all the time because of my height," he added.

"I liked to play on the wing and I liked taking corners and free-kicks.

"I wasn't great in the air, I was much better with my feet. The compromise was usually centre-midfield or centre-half."

Featured Image Credit: WWE

Topics: Drew McIntyre, WWE, Scotland, Rangers