Drew McIntyre might be perfectly happy playing the bad guy on WWE television, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten the people who helped him get there. After nearly 20 years in wrestling, McIntyre still tries to make time for genuine fans — he just has a pretty clear line when it comes to airport autograph hunters.
During his appearance on AwayDays’ Shirt Shopping, McIntyre was praised for stopping to take pictures and interact with fans. He explained that he remembers what it was like when nobody was lining up to meet him, especially during the rougher years of his first WWE run.
“That’s what Drew Hollywood does. I still have time for my fans. I’ll never forget them. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I still feel the same way. I’m incredibly lucky to have my fans because there was a time when nobody came to see me or cared about me. I wasn’t in a good position on the show. I got fired.”
McIntyre’s WWE release in 2014 clearly hasn’t disappeared from his memory. He eventually rebuilt himself outside the company, returned to WWE and climbed all the way to the top, so he knows exactly what having people invested in him means. That appreciation doesn’t mean every interaction gets a pass, though. McIntyre specifically called out people who show up at airports carrying stacks of merchandise and expecting wrestlers to sign everything.
“And I know they got me to where I am. And I see how some people behave now, and I get it, sometimes they go too far. Don’t come to the airport with a bunch of pictures. That’s ridiculous.”
The interviewer brought up another familiar sight at airports — people carrying Funko Pops that they can get signed and potentially resell. McIntyre agreed that’s where things start feeling very different from simply meeting somebody who happens to be a fan.
“Or Funko Pops to sell. Yeah, exactly. If you happen to run into somebody, and they’re not with their kids or busy doing something private, just talk to them and get a picture. That’s fine. It happens naturally.”
So McIntyre isn’t telling people to leave him alone. His rule is actually pretty simple: if you naturally run into him and he isn’t dealing with something private, come say hello and grab a picture. Just maybe don’t be waiting at baggage claim with half a store’s worth of Funkos under your arm.
Do you think wrestlers are right to draw the line at airport autograph hunters carrying merchandise to get signed? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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