"I texted Hunter" - Mick Foley told Triple H to keep an eye on a released WWE star 

Leaving WWE isn't the end of the world for a professional wrestler, as former world champion Drew McIntyre has proven, and Mick Foley recently revealed he'd advised Triple H to track Drew's progress after the latter was released from the WWE in 2014.

The Scottish Warrior's story is one of the select few instances where a superstar has rebuilt their career outside WWE to return and be a leading player.

Drew McIntyre had to work hard to get WWE's attention and was once the Chosen One, who unfortunately got released. A run on the indies revitalized McIntyre's career, and he's not looked back since. Before he caught WWE's eye again, Mick Foley realized that Drew McIntyre was doing something special after being ousted from WWE.

The Hardcore legend recalled on Foley is Pod:

"Drew will admit that there are times to go out there [on the indies] and be that guy from WWE, but when it really counted, like with Insane Championship Wrestling — people need to know, just from the onset, I rarely text the powers that be, and in this case, I texted Hunter after Drew sent me something." (H/T Fightful)

While Mick Foley wasn't close to McIntyre in real life, he saw how much potential the former 3MB member had to become a top name in a major wrestling company like WWE.

Foley, who usually never texts the 'office,' revealed that he sent a text message to Triple H years ago to inform The Game about Drew McIntyre's development and why he should be considered for a future WWE return.

Foley continued:

"I wasn't close friends with Drew by any means, but I liked him, and he sent me something. He said, 'Hey, I know you're busy, but I'm working on something different. I did something for her ICW in Glasgow. Can you take a look?' The first thing I did, and he'd only been gone like a month, I texted Triple H and said, 'I know you just released him, but you need to keep your eye on Drew McIntyre. He's like an entirely different person.'"

Mick Foley praises Drew McIntyre's decision to bet on himself

The end of a talent's WWE run can often have a negative impact on their mindset towards the business, as some can even lose motivation altogether. In Drew McIntyre's case, his downfall during his first run spurned him to get better, and he was rewarded with a deserved WWE comeback in 2017.

Mick Foley said that wrestlers need to get inspired by McIntyre and sometimes need to take the risk of trying their luck outside WWE.

"Sometimes you just need to go there. You may find out by betting on yourself that you're only as good as WWE told you you were, but man, the two dirtiest words in the English language, 'What if?'"

Could McIntyre use a 'favor' in his match against Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel? Read more about the possibility here.