Fans may have gotten closer to seeing Nigel McGuinness potentially wrestle again. Nigel was a top star for ROH for years before he went to TNA Wrestling and ultimately decided to retire from in-ring action.
Run
McGuinness was offered a WWE deal in September 2006 to wrestle, but the deal was pulled after he didn’t disclose a previous biceps injury during a medical pre-screening. His doctor thought the injury was healed and he was good enough to wrestle, but WWE’s doctors then instructed Nigel to undergo surgery to repair the old injury.
Nigel couldn’t afford the surgery, so he declined to do so, and WWE pulled the offer. After his TNA run, he felt he had few options left after this and decided to retire instead. He has not wrestled in a sanctioned match since 2011.
He transitioned into being an announcer as McGuinness signed with WWE back in 2016, initially for the WWE UK Classic before being brought on as a commentator for various shows, including NXT, NXT UK, Main Event, and 205 Live. Once released by WWE, he signed with AEW in April 2023, where he provides commentary on Collision.
In-ring return
While appearing on Wrestling Weekly with Les Thatcher and Victor Sosa, the AEW color commentator revealed he was recently in the ring. Nigel was talking about how while he’s happy other wrestlers that he came up with got to live out their dreams, he does have mixed emotions about it.
“Especially when I can still wrestle today, you know? I got in the ring last week and just felt perfectly okay. Sometimes, people say it’s a lot easier if you choose yourself to quit and I don’t think that it’s the case.”
Nigel has said in the past that he would’ve loved to have wrestled Bryan Danielson at AEW All In 2023 at Wembley Stadium. Perhaps, that could draw him out of retirement when the promotion returns there this August.
H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription
