- McIntyre, from Ayr, was inducted into the Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame
- The WWE superstar will compete for the world heavyweight title on Saturday
- Clash at the Castle is the first Premium Live Event to be held in Scotland
Drew McIntyre is already feeling the love from his home fans ahead of the Clash at the Castle in Glasgow on Saturday night after being inducted into the Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The 39-year-old, who is originally from Ayr, will take on current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest for the title he lost so dramatically at this year’s WrestleMania in the showpiece event at the Hydro.
And after arriving back in Scotland, he was soon on his way to Ibrox – home of his favorite football club, Glasgow Rangers – for a ceremony in his honour.
“It is a huge honor to be inducted into the Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame,” said McIntyre, who will also appear on Smackdown on Friday night. ‘I’m so incredibly proud to be from Scotland, from Ayrshire. Being inducted at Ibrox doesn’t feel real either. It’s unbelievable. It’s surreal.
‘Maybe it’s the jet lag, but I feel like I’m dreaming right now – and I definitely don’t want to wake up!’
McIntyre with the World’s Strongest Man, Tom Stoltman and WWE Superstar, Piper Niven at Ibrox
Former Rangers players Lee McCulloch (far left) and Mark Hateley (far right) were part of the ceremony at Ibrox
Drew McIntyre takes on Damian Priest at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow on Saturday evening
Clash at the Castle is the first Premium Live Event (PLE) to be held in Scotland.
“It’ll be mental,” McIntyre admitted. ‘I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel. I just have to keep myself together during my entrance, let alone the match itself.
‘I’ve had a few shows in Scotland for friends and family, but they weren’t televised.
‘The first Clash at the Castle took place in Wales and people had traveled from all over Britain and it was very emotional.
‘This time it’s actually in Scotland, it’s a PLE, it’s broadcast live around the world to millions of people. It’s going to be great, not just for myself but to showcase the Scottish fans.”
In the future, McIntyre would like to return to his home country and pack one of the big stadiums such as Murrayfield, which has just hosted three Taylor Swift concerts with aplomb.
“We need the Scottish fans to pack the place and be louder than ever before,” he said. ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re blue or green, or even Partick Thistle! It doesn’t matter who you are, we’re all Scottish that weekend!
‘We’re going to show the world who we are at the European Championship (as Scotland take on Germany). We’re going to show the world who we are in Glasgow.
‘We need to show the world that Scotland have the most passionate and loudest fans in the world.’
Friday Night SmackDown airs live from the Hydro Glasgow, Friday 14th June. Tune in to TNT Sports
Clash at the Castle: Scotland will be broadcast live from the Hydro Glasgow, Saturday 15 June. Tune in to the WWE Network and TNT Sports Box Office.