Drew McIntyre’s “I prayed for this, and it happened” line about CM Punk is still all over the internet, but there’s a secret behind that infamous insult. It turns out Drew wasn’t even the one who came up with it. And what he originally wanted to say about Punk’s injury was apparently so offensive that someone had to step in and stop him.
Speaking during an interview with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, McIntyre revealed that Triple H was the man behind the viral line. Drew had originally planned to go much harder on Punk after his injury, but Triple H thought he was taking things too far. Instead of shutting down the idea completely, he gave McIntyre something even better.
“I mean, I knew talking to Triple H during the day that this is going to be so good. Like, I had an idea and it was too much. It would have offended a lot of people, which I’m very good at.”
Drew explained that Triple H helped him pull back from his original idea before personally coming up with the line that would eventually become one of the most memorable insults of their entire feud.
“He helped me reel it back, and then Hunter himself came out with the line which I ended up using, cuz I had such an extreme version and he dialed it back.”
And Triple H wasn’t finished there. According to McIntyre, Hunter actually demonstrated how he should say it. Drew was so impressed that he decided to copy the delivery exactly.
“I knew in that moment when Hunter delivered the line by toning me down a little bit, I went, ‘Wow, that is genius.’ Cuz I’m going to use that exact tone.”
That’s where things got particularly nasty. Instead of coming out screaming about how much he hated Punk, McIntyre wanted to sound like he actually felt bad for him. He started the promo by talking about how devastating injuries can be, only to reveal that he was thrilled Punk had gotten hurt.
“The promo itself, I was being sympathetic, I believe, because Punk had got injured and I understand what it’s like to have things taken away from me and I’ve been injured before and I’ve lost in my life in the ring and out the ring. And I can get real personal, but I hate that son of a—. And I’m going to sit in the exact same tone all the way through till people go, ‘Wait, what?’ His face goes, ‘What?’ and drop his ass.”
The result was the infamous “I prayed for this, and it happened” moment. What started as a vicious shot at an injured CM Punk became an internet meme, with people using Drew’s face and those words for everything from sports victories to everyday situations. McIntyre admitted he knew the line would work when Triple H first suggested it, but he never imagined it would still be everywhere years later.
“I didn’t think I’d be seeing it to this day for everything, no matter like what, if it’s sports or it’s well outside of wrestling, outside of wrestling. It’s constantly, it’s me pointing, ‘I prayed for this and it happened.’”
Of course, the line was only one part of Drew’s bitter rivalry with Punk. The two spent months attacking each other on WWE television, social media and in interviews before settling things inside Hell in a Cell at WWE Bad Blood 2024. Even after their feud ended, McIntyre has continued taking personal shots at Punk. Drew also made it clear that the reason their rivalry worked so well was because neither man needed to pretend they liked the other.
“There was a lot of, you know, programs, rivalries that were very big and spectacular and had their moments. Ours was just consistent. And to this day, it was consistent hatred. And people can feel that. You get two guys that are good at their job. They don’t have to like each other, but they understand when they’re in there, they’ll be professional.”
So Triple H gave Drew McIntyre the line that turned into one of WWE’s biggest memes, and Drew made sure nobody would forget it. The crazy part is that McIntyre apparently had something even more offensive ready to go before Hunter talked him out of it. Now that might be the one promo idea Drew should explain next.
What do you think about Triple H being the person behind Drew McIntyre’s famous “I prayed for this” line? And just how bad do you think Drew’s original version was? Let us know in the comments 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.
