When WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre learned that the company would be bringing a show to Edinburg for the first time, he felt a sense of excitement. Even without the "h," Edinburg still sounds like home to the native of Scotland.
McIntyre will be one of the primary attractions when WWE holds a non-televised show Sept. 14 at Bert Ogden Arena, marking the first sporting event at the new venue, as he will team with Dolph Ziggler to take on Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
Also on the card is a Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, a Raw Tag Team Championship match that pits Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt against the B-Team, and matchups of Finn Balor versus Jinder Mahal and Bobby Lashley versus Kevin Owens.
McIntyre has wrestled in hundreds of venues around the world for various promotions during his 17-year career and said fans in Texas were usually among the most knowledgeable.
McIntyre has given fans of the WWE product plenty to talk about through the years. He said he was still living with his parents when he was signed by the company at 21 years old, making his debut in 2007 without ever having a chance to grow up and experience adult life on his own.
Though he captured the Intercontinental and WWE Tag Team Championships once each, many felt he failed to maximize his potential before being released in 2014.
McIntyre returned to Insane Championship Wrestling in Scotland and said the audiences grew from 1,600 fans for his debut to 7,000 when he left in 2016. He also wrestled for Evolve, TNA, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, What Culture Pro Wrestling and many others before returning to WWE's NXT brand in April 2017.
Now, McIntyre said he looks the way he wrestles: "Like I may have stepped out of 'Game of Thrones.'" He said he stands 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds and uses a very intense, brooding and aggressive wrestling style.
Nearly four years after his release, McIntyre made his return to WWE television with an appearance on Raw on April 16. In his first televised interview, McIntyre spoke out against the sense of entitlement and complacency in the WWE locker room that cost him his first opportunity in the company.
He said that mentality helped forge his bond with Ziggler, who McIntyre described as equally driven to raise the level of WWE through high-quality matches.
McIntyre has yet to be pinned or submitted since returning to Raw, and he assisted Ziggler in winning the Intercontinental Championship. Rollins defeated Ziggler to reclaim that title at Summerslam, and helping Ziggler right that wrong is one of McIntyre's many goals moving forward.