WWE champion Drew McIntyre was the latest guest on the Rich Eisen show to discuss a variety of topics, including how he almost had to do a male model gimmick during his first run with the company. Hear highlights from that story, and the fallout with Vince McMahon, below.
Says WWE originally wanted him to do a male model gimmick:
“It had something to do with being a fricking male model. Yeah, I remember because I got told about it. I was about 260 at the time. ‘We got this great idea for ya Drew. You’re gonna be The Runway Man. You’re gonna come out on a runway. And you’re gonna model all the greatest underpants or whatever. That’s gonna be your gimmick because you’re this model character,’ and all my dreams just like crashed before my very eyes, but I couldn’t register it on my face because it’s WWE. It’s a huge opportunity. I just nodded and went, ‘That’s a great idea.’ Eventually, I had to cut down to 260 to be a male model. So I lost about 35 pounds to get the abs in, looking like an Abercrombie and Fitch model.”
How Vince McMahon could tell he wasn’t a fan of the gimmick:
“You know, I was a lot younger looking at the time. I had a shaved face at the time, a bit of a pretty boy. I had myself looking the part, sat down with Vince McMahon. He asked me my honest opinion of the character, and I said, ‘You know what sir, if it gets me on television, I’ll make it work.’ He clearly saw I did not like it at all and said, ‘Just go out there and be yourself.’ And I had already lost like 35 pounds. I have to gain this weight back somehow because I looked like a male model, but I have to be a butt kicker. I’m glad that never saw the light of day though. Thank God!”
Believes that the best characters are just extensions of your true personality:
“I would have chosen anything where I could just be myself. The best characters are an extension of your real personality. Male model is nowhere close to Drew’s real personality. I was watching YouTube videos trying to figure out how to walk like a runway model. I was like, ‘My goodness. This is not the one for me.’”
Check out McIntyre’s full comments below. (H/T and transcribed by 411 Mania)