TAMPA, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — WWE’s WrestleMania is right around the corner. The event was held without fans in 2020, but for this year’s event, 25,000 fans will be allowed inside Raymond James Stadium for each night.
“It’s unbelievable that I am, once again, competing for the WWE title and our fans are finally going to be back,” McIntyre told NewsNation. “They are beyond excited. I see their social media interactions. I see them fired up about it but no one is more fired up than the WWE Superstars.”
A two-time WWE Champion, McIntyre knows what it means to be in the main event of WrestleMania. He won his first WWE Championship during last year’s “Showcase of the Immortals” in a highly touted match against Brock Lesnar. However, due to the pandemic, McIntyre’s first win on WWE’s grandest stage came in front of no fans, not in a stadium, but in WWE’s Performance Center.
McIntyre held the WWE Championship for a combined 300 days over two title runs since last year’s WrestleMania. But afer dropping the crown at February’s Elimination Chamber event, the 35-year-old Scot finds himself fighting for the WWE’s top men’s title once again. He’ll face reigning champ Bobby Lashley on night one of Wrestlemania on Saturday, April 10.
“We’re going to throw a performance people are going to remember, a true heavyweight clash,” McIntyre said. “We’re going to beat the crap out of each other and in the end, my big foot is going straight into his face…1,2,3 and the title’s back to McIntyre.”
McIntyre’s has also been central to WWE’s campaign to promote the COVID-19 vaccines. The company announced that the former champion tested positive for the virus in January.
“Please get your vaccines. This is how we’re going to get back to normal,” McIntyre said. “I caught COVID myself. I live like a hermit. I’m in my house, I work in my garage, I go to work, I follow social distancing guidelines, I wear my mask all the time and I still got it.” He told NewsNation that he was lucky his coronavirus symptoms were mild.
Toward the end of the interview, NewsNation’s Aaron Nolan asked McIntyre who he’d love to face in the ring. His answer? UFC champion Conor McGregor in the ring.
“It seems like he’s winding down in UFC. He’s from my side of the world. He’s got a big mouth on him. He’s also quick with his hands,” McIntyre said. “Realistically, he’s the size of my left calf so it may not be very fair.”
Catch McIntyre’s match against Lesnar on night one of WrestleMania April 10. His memoir “A Chosen Destiny: My Story” hits U.S. bookstores May 4, and is currently available for preorder on Amazon.