Nigel McGuinness provides an update on potentially returning to the ring.
Due to medical complications, former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness retired in 2011. He has remained active in the business, as he has transitioned to commentary. McGuinness signed with AEW in 2023, and he currently calls the action on AEW Collision. In March 2024, McGuinness said that he was back in the ring, and he felt perfectly okay.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, McGuinness was asked whether he was working towards a return match.
“I was open to the suggestion, open to the idea. When I originally signed with AEW, I took a flight cross country with Tony and he said, 'I've got to swear you to secrecy, I’m telling you something you can't tell another soul. We're doing Wembley Stadium.' I was like, 'Oh, my God.' Then just the idea occurred to me. 'Could you, should you?' Because Wembley Stadium 1992. That was an epiphany for me. That was a moment. I went there with my friend, and I sat back 50 rows back, and I just remember having this strange sensation, this weird feeling, this belief that somehow I knew I was going to be a professional wrestler. I think maybe you've had a similar idea yourself, but it stuck with me, certainly. So to go back to that venue and wrestle would just be off the charts. But the only thing that really made sense was Bryan [Danielson], and he broke his arm because he's got osteoporosis," McGuinness said.
McGuinness was then asked to comment on what would have happened had Bryan Danielson not broken his arm ahead of AEW All In 2023. He noted that he was not sure, and a lot of it was out of his control. McGuinness also looked back on his past with Danielson.
“I don't know. I mean, there's so much of it is out of my control, whether he wants to wrestle me. I always thought it was kind of funny. Someone asked him about that time if he'd ever wrestle me again, and he said, 'If I ever wrestled, Nigel, I'd break his neck.' Then three weeks later, he breaks his arm, which I thought was karma. I've always thought as well. Sometimes, you get couples, and the girl is always jealous and blaming the guy for cheating. 'You're cheating on me. You are thinking of cheating.' I mean, it always turns out, she was thinking of it. So I think maybe when Bryan said, if I wrestle him I’ll break his neck, he probably remembers those lariats and thinks, doesn't want that. Go back and watch that match at Liverpool where we had that incredible match. There was a time after he ran my head into the ring post. I rolled back in, blood pouring, looked him in the face and perhaps the only time I've ever seen true fear in his eyes. So yeah, I think he was having a flashback, PTSD from that. So I make jokes about it, don't think he's ever going to wrestle me to be perfectly honest," McGuinness said.
When asked whether a match with Bryan Danielson in Wembley Stadium would be the terms for an in-ring comeback, McGuinness noted that it felt that way. He also stated that he was inspired by veterans like Christian Cage and Adam Copeland, who proved that they had not lost a step. McGuinness emphasized that he did not want to step away from commentary, and he did not want to become a full-time wrestler.
“It certainly feels like that. You know what I mean? It certainly feels like that. All roads to me, I think certainly aimed towards him. Because there's so much talent in AEW, so many young guys who deserve those spots. I’m very inspired by Christian Cage, obviously, and Adam Copeland as much as I'd hate to admit it. These guys can show that they haven't lost a step. They can still go and all the knowledge that they have, they can convey and pass on to the next generation by being in the ring with them as well. I've been like, wow. Getting back in the ring, I felt like, wow, it is a strange realization when you figure out that the only thing stopping you being a wrestler is you. Now, having said that I've certainly got no desire to step away from the announcing booth. I don't want to become a full-time wrestler. I don't really want to wrestle anymore, to be honest with you. Other than beating Bryan, obviously, because that’s our story. There's our history," McGuinness said.
Additionally, McGuinness was asked about potentially ending his career on his terms, and he said that it was a possibility. He noted that he as grateful for his retirement tour, but his career did not end the way that he thought it would.
“That’s definitely a possibility. I mean, you mentioned before we started filming that you watched the documentary, it was rather an ignominious end to my career. I was very grateful to all the independent promoters who booked me on my final retirement tour. But I certainly never imagined that my last match would be in a small volunteer fire department in West Virginia. But yeah, you just don't get to choose it sometimes," McGuinness said.
As of this writing, there is no word on whether Nigel McGuinness will return to the ring.
In December 2023, Bryan Danielson said that he saw a match with Nigel McGuinness as a real possibility. Check out his comments here. Nigel McGuinness later said that he did not think that Danielson would face him in a match.
Thanks to Chris Van Vliet and his team for sharing these quotes.
