"The managers had to pull me off the pitch!" - Drew McIntyre recalls why he pursued wrestling instead of football

Drew McIntyre recently revealed that a red card he received during a football/soccer match was ultimately what made him choose to pursue a career in wrestling instead of football.

Drew McIntyre is a WWE Superstar currently serving as the WWE Champion on Monday Night RAW. McIntyre has been a part of this industry since the early 2000s, spending 10 of his 19 years in professional wrestling in WWE. The Scottish Warrior is set to face Goldberg at the Royal Rumble, where he will attempt to defend his WWE Championship.

Speaking to Priyam Marik of the Telegraph India, Drew McIntyre shared the story behind his decision to take up wrestling instead of football. Growing up as a Rangers fan in Scotland, football came naturally to the King of Claymore Country. It was during a football match, where he was wrongfully given a red card that he decided to make the switch to pro-wrestling.

"I was in a football match once where a player ran into my shoulder and knocked himself unconscious. I got a red card, took off my shirt, and threw it at the referee, then tried to fight the referee, and the managers had to pull me off the pitch! That was the day I decided that I should take this physicality to wrestling. I stopped playing football and started focusing on wrestling one hundred per cent."

Drew is blue 🔵⚪️🔴@DMcIntyreWWE returns home 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#WWEGlasgow pic.twitter.com/wA0ePZNeFL

— WWE on BT Sport (@btsportwwe) November 11, 2019

Drew McIntyre made a good choice choosing wrestling over football, as he now stands at the pinnacle of WWE. That being said, football will always remain close to McIntyre's heart, and maybe we'll see him display his kicking skills at this year's Royal Rumble event.

Bret Hart was Drew McIntyre's inspiration growing up

Despite being torn between wrestling and football as a child, Drew McIntyre had one idol he always looked up to, and that was Bret Hart. McIntyre revealed that The Hitman was always his favorite and was the one who inspired him to become a professional wrestler.

"In terms of inspirations, my favourite was always Bret “The Hitman” Hart."

Having made it to WWE, Drew McIntyre and Bret Hart now have mutual respect. The Hitman even showed his support to the King of Claymore Country back in 2011 and questioned the way WWE had utilized his talents.

I honestly can't believe that the best way 2 utilize a talent like Drew McIntyre is 2 waste him on Superstars. Who's genius is that? Idiot!

— Bret Hart (@BretHart) May 14, 2011

Following his first run in the promotion, Drew McIntyre would take some time away from WWE and then make a huge comeback in 2017 on NXT. Since then, it has been a gradual rise to the top for McIntyre on the main roster, where he is now the undisputed WWE Champion.