Drew McIntyre has been busy building his acting career, but the former WWE Champion has still found ways to keep himself ready for a return to the ring.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, McIntyre revealed that his filming commitments took him to Barcelona for three months. While working on The Last Druid alongside Russell Crowe, he found himself missing wrestling enough to seek out a local training ring.

“I had an itch so bad that I’ve been getting back in the ring and just moving around,” McIntyre said. “Even when I was in Barcelona, I spent three months in Barcelona filming The Last Druid with Russell Crowe after I finished Highlander. I literally lived there for three months and I said, ‘I can’t do this. I gotta get in a ring.’”

A connection on set helped him find exactly what he needed. One of the stunt performers was also a local independent wrestler and pointed McIntyre towards a place where he could train.

“One of the extras, one of the stuntmen was a local indie guy and he told me they have a ring there,” McIntyre said. “So I went down and I started just rolling around in the ring and beating up some of his guys just to get my fix.”

Those sessions were far from a gentle workout. McIntyre admitted that his usual physical approach carried over into training, leaving him feeling a little sorry for the wrestlers helping him prepare.

“I feel bad for those guys,” he said. “The way I wrestle, I practice the way I play. I was beating the crap out of them with no cameras there.”

McIntyre has also been working out at Rusev’s wrestling school in Nashville. A video of him running the ropes attracted millions of views, giving him a clear reminder that fans are eager to see him back.

“I put a little video out hitting the ropes,” he said. “I think Bron Breakker is the only man that hits the ropes faster than me on planet Earth. And it got over eight million views on my own socials, so people are excited to see Drew come back. I miss the live fans. I miss the buzz, the adrenaline, but I am enjoying what I’m doing right now.”

McIntyre’s most recent WWE run included winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes in Germany in January, before losing the title back to Rhodes in Portland, Oregon, in March.

He last wrestled in April, when Jacob Fatu defeated him in an unsanctioned match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. Although McIntyre did not announce a return date during these comments, he made it clear that wrestling remains firmly on his mind.

Who would you like to see Drew McIntyre face when he returns to WWE? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: Drew McIntyre, WWE, Rusev, Bron Breakker, The Last Druid, WrestleMania 42