WWE superstar Drew McIntyre makes Rangers title prediction ahead of Glasgow homecoming

Like his favourite football team, Drew McIntyre’s most recent success came behind closed doors, without a live crowd.

Drew McIntyre has had two spells in WWE and is now among the top performers of the organisation's Raw section - but will be joining the Smackdown brand for the company's UK tour later this month.

Now, heading back to Scotland after 18 months stranded in America by the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions, he is looking forward to catching up with family and friends in Scotland, if not Rangers themselves.

Livingston are due to play Steven Gerrard’s Scottish champions in front of a crowd at Ibrox on September 22, the same night McIntyre will be in town for the WWE Tour show across the Clyde at the Hydro.

"Can you be two places at once?” he pondered with The Scotsman as the fixture schedule threw up a logistical head-scratcher. “I have mates who know the roads around there, let’s see what we can do.”

Drew McIntyre, from Ayr, has previously sent messages of support to Rangers in Scottish football (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

Rushing to gigs is not unusual, he used to fly from American shows – via two connections – to Glasgow for matches with Insane Championship Wrestling in his formative years.

The hectic schedule paid off – twice during the empty arena era – when McIntyre landed the top prize in his company, and he’ll finally be able to share his success with his family, friends and fans in Glasgow later this month. It’s an overdue catch-up, and just another parallel between the Ayr-born athlete and his football team who won last season’s Premiership title while fans were locked out of grounds.

McIntyre predicted the SPFL success, and is doing the same again this season for both his team and himself.

“This will be our season again – that’s another prediction. Europe-wise we’ll do alright. It’s not really a season for Europe but we’ll win the league again, so it’s all progress. Every season we get a little better and that’s been the case for what the last few years. Every year we get a little bit better.

Drew McIntyre has enjoyed success without crowds, just like his football team Rangers - and now is determined both can enjoy success with an audience. Picture: WWE

“I always think of the parallels when I got fired in 2014 and Rangers were down but every year I’d get a little bit better and make a bigger name for myself and Rangers would move up the divisions.

"We kept rising together and I got to WWE, and when I won the title I said we’d been rising together and now I’d won the title they had to win the league and sure enough I won the title and they won the league.

"It’s cool how we’ve parallelled with one another right back to the top.

"When Rangers win the league again, I want to win the title again and this time in front of fans. The first time I won there was no-one there and the second time it was in front of the virtual fans. Then I lost it right before the fans were back.

Drew McIntyre celebrates his second WWE championship win in front of the company's virtual fan wall utilised during the coronavirus pandemic.

"There’s a stipulation in place now that I can’t fight for the title as long as Bobby Lashley is the champion. So realistically I can’t be in the position to win the title with the live fans which sucks because I was the champion for 300 days.”

He will receive plenty of fans’ adulation when he appears in front of a live Scottish audience on September 22. But it’s interaction with the supporters closest to him that the first WWE world champion from Britain, and by that token the first from Scotland, craves most.

"I’m back to see everyone and see my nephew who is three years old now – I’ve only met him two times.

“I’ve not been home for 18 months. The last time I was there, I had a few media engagements in London and got back to Scotland to film an advert on BT Sport and was supposed to see all my family and friends but I was literally pulled out of Scotland because of the corona situation and I didn’t get to see anybody and now, after everything we’ve been through over all this time, professionally and personally, I’m so excited – for a number of things.”

Drew McIntyre

It almost didn’t happen though, again. The Tour takes in four dates across the UK but features the stars and characters from the WWE’s Smackdown section. McIntyre wrestles for the Raw section of the roster.

"I couldn’t believe we had a European tour as soon as things started getting back towards looking like normal and especially with a Glasgow show on there. Then, I couldn’t believe it, to top it all off it was a SmackDown tour. I instantly told them I was going to go. It didn’t matter if they put me on the show or not – I’d fly myself over. I could go and be annoying in the crowd and distract the show. I would fly over and sign autographs sitting in the crowd if they didn’t!

“I joked around at the beginning and thankfully we figured something out where I am able to be on the full UK tour now – but I will miss a Raw TV show to ensure I can be there. I will get to go across the UK – Newcastle, London and Cardiff and then finish off at home in Glasgow and hopefully get an extra day to hang out with the family.

“I’ll make time for that for sure. We’ll try for the day of the show but realistically I’m trying to get extra days because it’s been so long. It’s been 18 months but it feels like three years or something.”

He might not have his title with him, but he’ll finally get his family time. And regardless of what happens in the ring, or on the pitch at Ibrox, there will be another small victory for McIntyre to savour. "Irn-Bru – and it better be the original formula or I’ll smack down whoever gives me it if it’s not!”

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