Drew McIntyre Addresses Retirement Timeline After Turning 40

Drew McIntyre is hearing the retirement talk now that he’s 40, but he made it clear he’s not planning to walk away anytime soon.

While speaking with Chris Van Vliet ahead of WrestleMania 42, the former WWE Champion was asked how much longer he plans to keep wrestling. McIntyre admitted his wife thinks his career might be shorter than he expects, but he said he still feels great and doesn’t see a reason to slow down right now.

He explained that as long as he feels good physically, stays happy at home, and fans continue to connect with what he’s doing, retirement isn’t something he’s thinking about in the near future.

“I know my wife feels like it’s gonna be a lot shorter than I probably feel it’s going to be, especially with how I feel now and how creatively fulfilled I feel these days. But as long as I’m happy, as long as she’s happy, and as long as the fans are happy with what I’m doing, I don’t see any reason to slow down anytime soon, especially when I see guys getting up there in age right now and moving as well as they’re moving right now, because we’ve just moved so far forward with athletes. Look at LeBron James or Ronaldo, for example, the same age as me, and they’re just still at the top of their game.”

McIntyre also talked about how his mindset has changed over the years, especially when dealing with setbacks. Instead of getting frustrated about missed opportunities, he now focuses on whether the story still works and keeps fans emotionally invested. For him, the biggest problem in wrestling isn’t losing or being disappointed—it’s when the crowd stops reacting.

“There were a couple of moments where I was like damn, it sucks personally, but I can also look at the big picture these days. I’ve been knocked down enough times and fed a few disappointments sometimes where I didn’t always deal with it the right way for the bigger picture and understanding, okay, the company needs this right now.

How does this screw me up? It doesn’t really. It actually works for the character, and as long as it works for the character, I can be personally disappointed, but professionally, I know we’re still on the right track, and the fans are still going to be emotionally invested, and that’s all that matters, because I’ve been in situations where they were not emotionally invested. And the worst thing in the world in pro wrestling is silence.”

McIntyre may be 40, but he’s not talking like someone ready to retire. If anything, he sounds like a guy who still feels strong, motivated, and ready to keep going for years.

How long do you think Drew McIntyre should keep wrestling before calling it a career, and what would you want to see him accomplish before retirement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.