2024 was a red-hot year for WWE, with the company delivering a phenomenal feud pitting CM Punk against Drew McIntyre. Even when the Second City Saint was injured, both men made the most of it (including with an unforgettable confrontation at WrestleMania).
McIntyre has long maintained that there's no love lost between himself and Punk outside the ring. In a new interview, he reiterated their apparent dislike for one another in real life and explained how that didn't stop them doing great business on TV.
"We don’t like each other. We genuinely don’t," the Scottish Warrior shared. "But we’re able to be professional enough within the confines of WWE to turn it into magic on television, which it was, because it was very much based in reality."
"Every week, how good he is at his job, how good I am at my job, we’re trying to top each other because of that personal rivalry, and because we’re such professionals and because we’re good at our job," McIntyre continued. "That’s what it was every week, was trying to outdo each other, outdo each other, outdo each other, and the people that benefitted the most were the fans."
"Him and I didn’t always collaborate, we just talked to a mediator and we’ll see you out there, and we just went like the old west on the microphone with each other."
Professional wrestling being what it is, chances are we'll never know what these two really make of each other. However, elsewhere in the interview, McIntyre brought up Brock Lesnar and gave his take on the former WWE Champion.
It's been a long time since we saw The Beast in a WWE ring - largely because he got caught up in the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding ex-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon - and McIntyre made reference to his old foe while explaining why he's (usually) not bothered about facing larger opponents.
"You tell yourself that, but sometimes with certain guys, you think...like when I wrestled Brock Lesnar for the title. He looks like you've taken a gorilla and shaved it. Also, hey, this guy, if he chooses to, can murder basically everyone on the planet, except three people."
"I've been in the ring with them and I've thought this person could destroy me or finish me off if they wanted to? Mark Henry is one. He was the world's strongest man, was his character. He was, I think technically is on paper, legitimately strongest man of all time," he added. "The Big Show is another guy. When I was younger, he grabbed me and I thought, oh my goodness, he could just take me out."
"But the good thing with those guys, I could just run away with someone like Brock Lesnar. He's faster than you. He's stronger than you. He's got more technique," McIntyre noted. "No matter who you are aside to say legitimately a few people in the world, like he's going to get you and have his way with you, whoever he wants to do."
You can hear more from McIntyre in the player below.