WWE star Drew McIntyre appeared on the Masked Man Show to talk about a number of topics, including CM Punk calling him the fourth-best wrestler in a kilt.
McIntyre said, “I can actually do that [say something nice about Punk] because I always tell the truth, and I’m not a hypocrite, unlike Punk. His answer was just lazy. ‘He’s the fourth best behind the Highlanders.’ That’s not true, it’s just lazy. One nice thing about Punk; he sells a lot of t-shirts. That’s true. He’s great for merchandising. He’s a big name.”
On why Punk shouldn’t call himself a professional wrestler:
“The thing that drives me most crazy is that he goes around masquerading, calling himself a professional wrestler. That actually pisses me off to be honest. Invokes names like Harley Race, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat. Punk took nine years off. He sat on his ass and did nothing while guys like myself and the rest of the WWE roster worked their asses off 52 weeks a year, didn’t take our ball and went home. He quit the company and went and sat on his ass. I got fired. I got told, ‘Hey, you’re not good enough right now. Bugger off.’ My response wasn’t to sit on my couch. I’m going to keep wrestling and work harder than anybody in the world and reinvent myself and come back and reach the top of the WWE mountain and prove I’m the best in the world. That’s what I’ve done. I’m a pro wrestler day in and day out.”
“He went away. He’s been living on the pipe bomb, living on the feud with Cena, he’s smart and maximized and became a big star. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. He’s been gone for all this time. This legend has been created. He’s no longer a professional wrestler. He’s an attraction. There is nothing wrong with being an attraction, we need attractions, but don’t fucking say you’re a professional wrestler if you’re not a professional wrestler. I’m a professional wrestler.”
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(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)