The Goldmine: Drew McIntyre And WWE’S “Beef” With Millennials

In life you inevitably will be kicked in the teeth. It doesn’t matter if you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth or if you were delivered into this world on the side of a freeway.

At some time or another, life will give you a swift hard kick and it is during those occasions when an opportunity for us to improve our lives is born. In the world of professional wrestling, this usually manifests when booking agents continually allow for a wrestler to be beaten (Finn Balor) or wrestlers are removed from the WWE’s main roster and kicked back to NXT (which any way you slice it is the inferior brand). Or a wrestler is fired altogether.

Drew McIntyre is one such individual who once found himself at one time at the top of the food chain.  WWE creative executives were naive at the time, allowing the young “lad” who hadn’t had much life experience at the time to even attempt to flourish.

It was 2012, the year the world was supposed to end. Well, perhaps it was the beginning of the end. I have observed that prices have continually gone up since and that wages have largely remained as they were twenty or more years ago. But that’s another story for another article – one that I will not be writing.

Drew McIntyre was part of a group of wrestlers who called themselves 3MB. The name 3MB sounds more like the numbering of a pencil or old VHS company.

It was one of the worst concoctions WWE creative has come up with since The Shield:

https://youtu.be/3y3sNo9d5_Q

3MB consisted of Drew McIntyre, the well-known jobber Heath Slater and, your modern-day Maharaja, the great one, Jinder Mahal.

Drew, like his partners, had a shot at the big time and through lack of effort blew it: Non-engaging promos, neglected physiques, lousy ring attire and lack of conviction for who they were.  These three were quickly thought of as clowns rather than superstars.

Jinder Mahal was sent packing back to Canada and went onto hit the independent circuit. Drew was let go.  Heath…well, Heath stuck around to do the job for many a wrestler.

Hey, you’ve always got to have a fall guy, right?

https://youtu.be/0AvjQRpvDek

Being on the sidelines inspired Jinder and Drew to get serious and very quickly. Within a couple of years, Jinder got into the best shape of his life and started truly believing and giving everything to his character (a prerequisite to any wrestler who wants to be remembered and appreciated).

In 2017, Jinder’s efforts was so appreciated by WWE executives that he was crowned WWE champion:

Drew McIntyre was rehired by WWE but appeared on NXT. More recently, Drew is back on WWE’s main roster and making quite the impression. Sure, he’s currently partnered with Dolph Ziggler, but that’s for ‘The Zig’s’ benefit as he really needed a front man to remain even partly relevant.

When we listen to Drew’s promos of late we hear his newfound passion and respect for the business. We also hear a truth about the prevalent lack of ambition in the company:

Vince McMahon said it best a few years ago while conversing with legend, Stone Cold Steve Austin.  Put simply, millennials just aren’t as ambitious. They don’t want to reach to the greatest heights as did the likes of Steve Austin.

Here, Steve Austin and Vince McMahon discuss why millennial wrestlers don’t reach for the brass ring like they did  twenty years ago.  It’s an interesting perspective:

It’s all about work ethic. You’ve got to have it and you must believe in who you are. Personally, I applaud Drew and Jinder. I see their efforts and apparently, WWE brass are using these guys as examples.

They may even be having Drew articulate what they want their future and current superstars to know: You better shape up, step up or step out and get lost.

If you are training or are going to be training to become a WWE superstar, be ready to give your all and be willing to take risks. Be willing to have an opinion. Be willing to have a backbone. There are many fans out there who deserve for their hard-earned dollars to be well spent watching dedicated superstars.

The millennial association with lack of passion and overall disassociation with respect ends now. Quote Drew McIntyre, WWE and Alex Gold “The Goldmine” forevermore.

I am Alex Gold “The Goldmine”, Heel & Author.

Follow on Twitter @alexgoldmine