Drew McIntyre has used the Claymore Kick as his finisher since his days in Three Man Band during his first WWE run, but has since used the move to great effect since his return to the WWE.
The Scottish Warrior left the WWE in 2014, returning four years later much larger and proficient in the ring, with a brand-new move set to boot.
Ditching his old “Futureshock DDT” as his finisher (although he still uses it as a signature today), he adopted a running, single-leg drop kick as his finishing move, lovingly named “The Claymore Kick”, or simply “Claymore”.
Since his return to the WWE in 2017, the Claymore has been used to defeat opponents like Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and Randy Orton, among many others.
How Did Drew McIntyre Invent The Claymore?
Drew McIntyre revealed in an interview with Steve Austin that he invented the Claymore Kick by mistake, during his first run in the WWE.
He appeared on an episode of “Broken Skull Sessions”, and spoke to Austin about how he came up with the move during his time in the Three Man Band faction.
McIntyre claimed that he went for a regular kick during a match with Ryback, but due to his leather pants threatening to split in midair, he was forced to use his other leg to kick – knocking himself out in the process.
“I’m running around in those 80s tight rock n’ roll pants and I was running to give a boot in the first match that I had in those leather pants, and as I was running, raising my leg for the boot, I realize ‘oh, these things are going to split at the crotch”, Drew McIntyre revealed on “Broken Skull Sessions”.
“I don’t want my crotch to split, so I kicked up the other leg, knocked out my opponent and knocked myself out at the same time. Like, I remember getting up, doing an arm ringer after I did the maneuver, let the arm go, walked across the ring, tagged out and fell to the floor because I’d knocked myself silly.”
“Got to the back and someone pulled me aside and said, ‘If you can do that move without killing yourself you’ve got something cool there.’ And I worked on it, worked on it, and I used it as a part of 3MB as my big maneuver that I would use, but it was created because of those tight leather pants.”
Why Is Drew McIntyre’s Finisher Called “The Claymore”?
Drew McIntyre named his Claymore finishing move after historic Scottish warrior William Wallace, taking the name from the sword he used in battle.
William Wallace was a Scottish Knight who became a leader during the first war of Scottish independence. Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297, with this feat being immortalized in the move “Braveheart”, starring Mel Gibson.
Speaking to KWCH, Drew McIntyre confirmed that William Wallace’s sword was the inspiration for naming his finisher “The Claymore Kick”, although he cheekily referenced the historical inaccuracy with the hit movie about the knight.
The name comes from William Wallace in Braveheart. 100% historically accurate, just don’t check the Internet,” he joked. “His sword was called the Claymore.”
The Claymore sword was a heavy, two-handed sword that was in use in Scotland during the 15th to 17th centuries.
Historians show us that William Wallace’s sword was actually called The Wallace Sword, with the Claymore being the name for the sword in Braveheart.
When Did Drew McIntyre Start Using The Claymore?
The first time Drew McIntyre used The Claymore was on the March 25, 2013 episode of WWE RAW, in a handicap match against Ryback.
Drew McIntyre, Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal faced Ryback in a three-on-match, that saw McIntyre knock himself out when inventing the move.
The first time Drew McIntyre used the Claymore as his finisher was in NXT, where it helped him defeat Bobby Roode to win the NXT Championship for the first time in 2017.