After nearly 50 days away from the ring, Drew McIntyre is set for his return and has stated he is in the best physical condition he has been in for years. The Scottish Warrior will face Randy Orton at the Saturday Night’s Main Event special on July 12, marking his first match since a steel cage loss to Damian Priest on May 24.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, McIntyre detailed the deliberate steps he took during his hiatus to overhaul his physical wellness.
“I honestly feel better than I felt in about, minimum, six or seven years. During this time off, I’ve had a chance to step back and look at everything from an outside perspective…”
His time away, which was a planned period of leave and not the result of a specific injury, was used to implement new health and training regimens. McIntyre explained that this was a foundational shift in his approach to his own fitness, focusing on elements he had previously neglected.
“For the first time in my life, I’ve brought in somebody to start the diet the right way. I brought somebody in to start doing rehab at the gym, stretching things I’ve never done in my life and it’s unbelievable what it’s opened in my body and feel exactly the way I did probably like before I won the Royal Rumble in 2020. The way I’m moving about now, in general, I feel unbelievable.”
McIntyre’s return to WWE programming occurred on the July 4 episode of SmackDown, where he confronted Orton, leading to an RKO that set the stage for their upcoming match. While his immediate focus is on Orton, McIntyre also recently floated the idea of one day reuniting with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater for a final 3MB run as the concluding act of his career.