Drew McIntyre has a problem with wrestlers who need every second of their matches planned out — and he’s not keeping quiet about it. The former WWE Champion says some talent simply don’t know what to do when things go wrong in the ring, and he’s tired of watching matches fall apart because somebody can’t think on their feet.
While speaking on the Raw Talk podcast, McIntyre discussed how demanding WWE’s schedule can be and what it takes to perform at the highest level. But when the conversation turned to preparing for matches, Drew made it clear that he isn’t a fan of wrestlers who choreograph everything from beginning to end.
McIntyre believes experienced wrestlers should already know how to work a match without needing every move planned in advance. He explained that the live crowd should dictate how a match unfolds, not some predetermined sequence that might have worked in another city.
“Unless it’s a stunt practice stunts, but when it comes to the matches like you should know what you’re doing. We could talk about it a bit. You got 10 minutes, you got 15 minutes, you got 20 minutes. Go out there and listen to the crowd wrestle. Like I can’t stand when people plan stuff from beginning to end because you don’t know how the crowd’s going to react.”
Drew then explained why that approach drives him crazy. Just because something worked in one city doesn’t mean another audience will react the same way, and wrestlers who refuse to adjust are setting themselves up for a disaster.
“If you plan out this choreographed match, you walk out there and the crowd are just sitting on their hands. They’re like, ‘Huh?’ But they liked it in Chicago last week. You’re not Chicago. Different crowds like different things.”
Things got even more interesting when the host asked what happens when wrestlers don’t get the reaction they expected. According to McIntyre, that’s where some talent expose themselves because they haven’t learned how to improvise.
Drew said he’s experienced situations where he tries to change direction in the middle of a match, only for the other wrestler to freeze because they weren’t prepared for anything outside the original plan.
“Yeah. I mean, they’ve not learned how to improvise in the moment. And sometimes, like, a lot of people are good at listening, but some people panic and it’s not fun if you’re in live TV and somebody panics and you’re talking to them like, ‘Hey, this ain’t working. We’re going to go this direction now.’ And they kind of freeze up and that’s when things look choppy.”
McIntyre clarified that he doesn’t mind matches looking rough or physical. In fact, he prefers that when it makes the action feel more realistic. What bothers him is when things become awkward because the wrestlers aren’t communicating properly.
“Not choppy in the good way. I like if it looks kind of makes it look real. If it’s kind of choppy and you get really physical with each other, but if things start messing up in an obvious way, it is not good. If there’s a miscommunication or somebody trying to tell the other person, let’s go this direction and they’re not quite ready.”
But Drew also pointed to a bigger issue within WWE. The company doesn’t run nearly as many non-televised live events as it used to, which means younger wrestlers have fewer opportunities to practice their craft in front of actual audiences.
“And I mean, things are different now. We don’t have as many non-televised shows now as we used to where people kind of practice game. And there is more now. People are getting their reps in. Um, and the talent are finding their feet, especially the younger talent.”
That issue is something WWE management has already been addressing. As Ringside News previously covered, Triple H and Nick Khan explained why WWE was bringing back more house shows, with younger wrestlers needing additional in-ring experience being one of the biggest reasons behind the decision
Still, McIntyre doesn’t believe a lack of experience should be an excuse once somebody reaches WWE television. With the company’s audience expanding through Netflix, ESPN and social media, he expects anyone sharing the ring with him to be ready for whatever happens.And he even threw in a warning about what might happen if somebody makes him look bad in the process.
“But yeah, we’re in a spot now with all the eyeballs on us with Netflix and ESPN and the billions of social media views and doing shows like yourself like if you’re on the TV show, I expect you to be at a certain level or if I’m in the ring with you, I will beat you up for real if you’re making me look good.”
Drew immediately clarified that he was joking about beating somebody up, but his criticism of wrestlers who struggle to improvise was clearly serious. McIntyre has also previously discussed how WWE’s reduced live event schedule changed the way he prepares for matches. With fewer opportunities to wrestle regularly, the pressure to deliver when the cameras are rolling has become even greater.
Drew didn’t name anybody specifically, but his message was pretty obvious. If you’re wrestling on WWE television, you better know how to adjust when something isn’t working. He doesn’t want to be stuck in the ring with somebody who freezes because the crowd didn’t react the way they expected. And with WWE putting more emphasis on giving younger talent additional experience, it sounds like McIntyre isn’t the only one who sees room for improvement.
Do you agree with Drew McIntyre that some WWE wrestlers rely too much on choreographed matches, or do you think planning everything out makes for better wrestling? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments section below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
