WWE Champion Drew McIntyre says beating Randy Orton at SummerSlam could help make him a 'bona fide star'.
The first British WWE Champion takes on the Viper at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida this Sunday, August 23.
And the ground breaking Scot admitted to Mirror Sport that it's up to him to step up to the level of the 13-time world champion.
During the chat, he also shared thoughts on some of his closest peers within the larger than life world of professional wrestling.
This reporter was fortunate enough to engage with the WWE kingpin in a game of Topps WWE Slam Attax Reloaded trading cards via Zoom.
Still, despite my best efforts of persuasion, the 6ft 5in man-mountain from Ayr rebuffed any hopes that the title would be on the line during play, instead dismissing me by saying: "Nah, not today. We're playing cards today!"
I did manage to use each card to get some valuable insight from the champ though, so it's all good. As I (not so randomly) pulled out each of the five cards that time allowed, I was able to ask the master of the Claymore kick about WWE superstars past and present.
While the Slam Attax game soon descended into a friendly draw, Drew's answers made for killer material. Here's how it all went down.
Card dealt: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart
Bret Hart has been very complimentary of you in the past. How do you feel about such a legendary talent being enthusiastic about your work, and what are your thoughts on 'The Hitman'?
He's my all-time favourite wrestler and it's surreal to me that we have become friends over the years. He's very much about believability within this industry and the fact that he believes in my work, and believes in Drew McIntyre, is crazy to me.
On a tour in Germany, 11 years ago now when I was 24-years-old and the Intercontinental Champion - Bret is a huge deal over there, as he is everywhere - we got some time after the shows to chat. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done.
Card Dealt: Nikki Cross
As a fellow Scot, you must be really proud of Nikki's success since joining WWE's female roster?
It's awesome to see that Nikki is doing so well. I think sometimes when people come from our side of the world, it doesn't always translate well for American audiences. But I think she's done great and she's just being herself. She really is that energetic all of the time and she will continue to get better and better.
I remember taking a wrestling seminar at her husband Killian Dain's training school and I remember being really impressed with her and then on ICW shows. She has a great work rate and that's why she is at where she’s at right now.
Card dealt: Sheamus
A lot of people would love to see a huge main event between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, for the WWE Championship. Especially in a big stadium in the UK or in the Republic of Ireland. Do you think that would be a good idea?
It would be a great idea. I think the biggest thing of all would be allowing us time to tell the story. I think people would love it, hard hitting, two big guys, that's exciting, but if you let us tell that story first, to get the emotional investment of how long we've known each other. I met him, I always joke with this, that I was 19-years-old and he was about 43 at the time. [Laughs]
We became best friends, we had top feuds in Scotland, England, Ireland, we got signed to WWE on the same day… he was also the best man at my wedding, so there's a great possibility for a 'jealous brother' story heading into it, to get that real emotional investment, aside from the fact that it would be a really cool match, especially back home.
Card dealt: Randy Orton
You gave a very heartfelt speech on WWE Raw concerning the different paths that you and Randy Orton have been on. From your perspective, why should Drew McIntyre be the flagbearer of WWE rather than Randy Orton?
I think I've got a lot of work left to do, you know, Randy is completely on fire right now. He's on another level and it was up to me to step up to Randy's level and hopefully I showed that I'm truly capable of that, like I did on Raw, when let loose with a talent like Randy Orton.
But I'm hoping SummerSlam is not 'one and done'. I think we can really do some cool stuff with Randy and I think I've been doing a lot of good with the WWE title. I think it's important we make new stars for the future and I think if I'm able to beat Randy and continue to hold the WWE Championship, it would do wonders for me and take me to that next level of being a real bona fide star on the roster that will bring fans into the building when we are able to.
Card dealt: Drew McIntyre
Your career has famously had its ups and downs, but right now as WWE Champion and the king of the pro wrestling mountain, what advice would you give to reassure a younger version of yourself?
I wouldn't want to say too much, because I would be so worried about changing anything. [Laughs]. Just, have fun, don't worry things are going to be just fine. That's the extent of what I would be willing to say, because of the butterfly effect. You could say one thing and then screw up everything. Outside of a worldwide pandemic, [my career] is pretty much perfect right now.
You can interact with Drew McIntyre by sharing your unbeatable skills with the WWE Champion. Using the hashtag #KeepIt101, Drew will be looking out for the best videos and calling out some of the most impressive clips.
Catch the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in action on WWE RAW every Monday at 1am on BT Sport 1 HD with highlights available on Channel 5 every Sunday at 10.30am.
