Drew McIntyre Recalls Getting Knocked Out By Kofi Kingston During WWE WrestleMania 26 MITB Match
WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view is right around the corner and one superstar involved is using his past to fuel his present.
In a recent interview with Vicente Beltran from ViBe & Wrestling, Drew McIntyre was asked what his memories were of the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010 that he participated in. McIntyre, who also participated in the first-ever 10-person Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania 26, answered he had a distinct memory, one that involved a certain WWE champion.
"Being unconscious," McIntyre said. "I was lying on the table when Kofi came off the ladder and landed on me. He landed on my chest and slid through, onto my head. I remember waking up, wondering why thousands of people were in my bedroom. Shaking the cobwebs off and eventually shouting, the referee starts calling over to me to figure out what's going on. I quickly got my bearings and remembered I was in a Money in the Bank ladder match. But that was my first thought, 'Why is everybody in my bedroom?'"
McIntyre went on to lose that match and, after admittedly becoming complacent within WWE, was eventually released from the company in 2014.
From 2014-2017, McIntyre went on a worldwide indie wrestling odyssey, having a successful run that saw him win gold in promotions such as EVOLVE and TNA. He eventually returned to NXT then WWE, a different man in both physical stature and experience.
McIntyre says aside from his physical attributes — being an agile, 6'5, 265-pounder — his cumulative experiences will give him the edge in the upcoming May 19 Money in the Bank match.
That match will consist of McIntyre, fellow veteran Randy Orton, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor and upstarts Ricochet, Andrade, and Ali.
"It's my journey that makes me different from everybody else," McIntyre said. "Not many people grew up in WWE. I was signed at 21 and then left — most people did the independents then came to WWE, I did it the other way around. I was with WWE for years, learned WWE's way. I was around so many legends in the business, learning, then left and applied all those lessons and then returned after succeeding outside of the company and returned and started succeeding in the company.
"I've been through every experience and situation you could possibly go through in this industry. I'm still 33 years old. Everybody thinks I'm in my early 40s because I've been around for so long. Just the experiences and situations I've been through set me apart from everyone else. Not many people who could say that."
You can watch the full interview in the video above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ViBe & Wrestling with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.