Nigel McGuinness comments on what a match against Bryan Danielson means to him.
Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson haven't shared a ring in fifteen years since their days together in Ring of Honor. Once synonymous with each other, their careers would go on divergent paths after their days in Ring of Honor came to an end. Bryan Danielson went on to headline WrestleManias and major stadium shows, where Nigel had a brief run in TNA Wrestling before retiring and contributing to the business as an on-screen authority and color commentator.
Now, if Bryan Danielson is cleared to compete, they will face each other for one final time at the AEW Grand Slam. Speaking on the Battleground Podcast about the upcoming match, Nigel McGuinness says that he is simply trying to show that he was always as good, if not better, than the current AEW World Champion, and this match is simply about showing that he could have had all of the same success and accolades in a different life.
Nigel spoke about the reaction in New York likely being different than the one he received in Wembley Stadium at AEW Grand Slam, saying that as long as they have an opinion, that's all that matters.
"I know it's not going to be the same reaction, and I'm gonna be plenty of people in New York that don't like me," he said. "I've always said when people ask me about getting in the job, what do you need? You just need people to care about you, and it was always the case with me. People either loved me or hated me, but as long as they had an opinion, that was all that mattered. I think there's going to be a lot of that, hopefully. I mean, a lot of those people who followed our careers since Ring of Honor are going to come out and really want to see who can prove that today they are the better wrestler. That's all I'm trying to do. I'm just trying to show that all the success that he's had, should have, could have, and would have been mine in a different universe."
When talking about the AEW world championship not being on the line, McGuinness said he was okay with Danielson going on to defend the title at AEW WrestleDream. Still, he plans on making sure that Bryan Danielson knows who the better man is in the back of his mind and for the rest of his life.
"I can promise you this is going to be a monumental match, a monumental night. For me, it's destiny that's come about now after sixteen years to your earlier point. Never would have dreamt this would happen. If Bryan's got the balls to show up, then I guarantee you it's going to be a match for the ages. You don't often get an opportunity like this in sports because of the nature of sports, but, to me, this would be, perhaps, like a Michael Jordan against a Kobe Bryant. The ability to see where they are now, and that's what you're going to get.
"Bryan's back is against the wall. That's often the times where he's at his best. But I promise you, I'm going to do absolutely everything to just prove my point, the title is not on the line. So you know, whether win, lose or draw, he's leaving Arthur Ashe with the belt, and he's heading to WrestleDream to defend it, but I can beat him, and I can prove that I was every bit the wrestler that he is, that he was, and that's going to be in the back of his mind for the rest of his life, and he deserves it."
Fans can check out the full card for the Wednesday edition of AEW Grand Slam here.
Fightful covers AEW Dynamite live every Wednesday night as it airs on TBS. We also have a podcast that breaks down all the action after the show airs on our YouTube channel.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit Fightful for the transcription by linking back to this article.
