Nigel McGuinness is one of the most respected wrestlers among his peers but while he was at NXT, many of the talent who didn’t follow the business had no idea who he was. During an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Grayson Waller gave high praise to Nigel for helping him and Andre Chase.
Waller on his confidence on the microphone and what Nigel McGuinness said to him:
“I think anyone who’s seen my stuff independently in Australia, I think the microphone was always where I was at my best. I think part of that is me being Australian. As an Australian, banter is huge for us, you know, we’ll say something mean to our friends face and something nice behind their back. Like it’s always something where we’re joking around. This is who I am. This is how I talk normally, if anyone knows me, for real. So on the independents I got to play with that. But then coming here to NXT, I put as much effort into what I do and what I say as I put in to the wrestling part. And that’s something people don’t understand. They think it just comes natural, which obviously it does. I’m not going to say that I don’t have some advantages. But I put a lot of work into this. I make sure that I’m watching other people who talk like this. I watched a lot of videos of people who are confident I still remember one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from Nigel McGuinness when he was commentating on 205 [Live] and I was doing 205 and no one cared who I was. I was a legit no one. No one wanted to bother with me and Nigel pulled me aside and he talked to me about Muhammad Ali. And he said when Muhammad Ali talks and when Muhammad Ali fights, he knows he’s the best in the world. It doesn’t matter who he’s against. You don’t. And that piece of advice stuck with me where I was like, you know what he’s right. Like, there’s part of me thinking I still need to learn more. I still need to improve more. I need to be coached more like all these type of things, but it was coming out my performances so the moment Nigel said that and I had full confidence in myself to perform, I think everything went to a different level.
Waller had more praise for Nigel:
“No one knew who Nigel McGuinness was [at NXT],” Waller said. “There was two people – myself, Andre Chase. So Nigel McGuinness would sit backstage at NXT shows and no one will go talk to him. Me and Andre Chase would go and sit with him and we would pester him because we know Nigel. We know how good Nigel is…They thought he was a commentator. They thought he was a commentator. These dumb shotputters from Arizona State or wherever had no idea. So me and Andre Chase, we get like basically like a seminar with Nigel McGuinness whenever we want it you know, it was a treat. I missed having him around. He always had really strong advice, like real advice. No, he wouldn’t mess around, he’s not faking me out in a ‘good job buddy.’ Like he’s going to tell me how it is, that’s what I always enjoy.”
Click below to listen to the entire interview.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Ringer Wrestling Show with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
