Drew McIntyre reveals interest in NJPW in 2017 before Triple H called him to join WWE NXT

After a bad run in the WWE, Drew McIntyre left the company in 2014. His performance outside WWE was impressive as he captured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, EVOLVE Championship, ICW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCPW Championship between 2014 and 2017. After proving his worth outside the WWE ring, McIntyre returned to the company in April 2017 and since then he has done some incredible things in the company. Currently, Drew McIntyre is the WWE champion which he won at WrestleMania 36 by defeating Brock Lesnar.

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However, while talking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Drew McIntyre revealed that he had no intention of coming back to WWE in 2017. He said he was about to go to Japan to join New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) when he got a call from WWE legend Triple H, who asked him to return and join WWE NXT. Drew McIntyre said he wanted to join NJPW because he would have fought wrestling greats like Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

“Before Hunter called me to come back to WWE, the place I was going next was Japan. My style would be perfect there and I could learn so much.”

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Drew McIntyre’s successful WWE NXT career after NJPW snub

On April 12, 2017, Drew McIntyre made his NXT return and defeated Oney Lorcan. A couple of weeks later, he defeated Killian Dain to become the No.1 contender for the NXT Championship. At the WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III event, McIntyre defeated Bobby Roode to win the NXT Championship, making him the first superstar to have previously been on the main roster to win the championship.

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Over the next few weeks, Drew McIntyre began a feud with Andrade. He defeated Andrade in many occasions, before losing his title at NXT Takeover: WarGames. Drew McIntyre’s title loss to Andrade also marked his first loss in NXT. After the match, it was revealed that McIntyre suffered a torn bicep towards the end of the match.

After recovering from his injury, Drew McIntyre joined the main roster where he fought wrestling greats like Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Undertaker, and others. Eventually, in 2020, he defeated Brock Lesnar to become the WWE champion.

Image Source: WWE/Twitter

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