WWE superstar Drew McIntyre recently spoke with TV Insider to hype his upcoming appearance on Shark Rumble for Shark Week. The Scottish Warrior would go on to reveal how much he is afraid of sharks, then later explains how the appearance came about. Highlights are below.
How his appearance on the show happened:
The initial conversation started [from] my show on Peacock called Drew & A where I spoke with Paul de Gelder and Ocean Ramsey. They are regulars during Shark Week and experts in the shark world. They taught me how endangered sharks actually are. [Humans] kill around a hundred million sharks per year with 70 million just for freakin’ soup. That is pretty horrible. I don’t believe people realize how important sharks are to keeping the ecosystem balanced. I really wanted to do what I could to spread a positive message.
Whether he’s encountered any sharks:
Never. When I say I’m scared of sharks, I mean that. I’m scared of the water and the unknown. I never swam in the ocean beyond my waist where I can see the water. I’ve had nightmares about getting eaten by sharks or getting attacked by things in the ocean. It’s a genuine fear I have that I wanted to show on-camera. I have this irrational fear, but I want to overcome it because I know the facts and know [the sharks] need our help. I’ve found them to be such amazing creatures. Next time WWE is in South Africa or Australia on a tour, I’ll be getting in the water and in the cage with the great whites.
Whether he did anything to prepare to face his fears:
I thought about everything else until that day. I was excited about it, but I didn’t want to overthink it. I learned a lot and got to hang out for the day at the aquarium. I got to feed some whale sharks and hang out with the sea lions. Then, before they sent me down in the cage, I had a quick call with the wife [Kaitlyn Galloway] who gave me a talk to fire me up, which will be featured in the special. I was supposed to be down there for 20 minutes. I ended up being down there for 40. The time went by so quickly. I was blown away seeing them up close by how amazing they are.