With news that Nigel McGuinness is now All Elite, fans have begun to wonder if he’ll step inside the squared circle once more when AEW makes its way to Wembley Stadium for AEW All In, potentially to renew his old rivalry with Bryan Danielson.
The star made a shock appearance and joined the commentary table at ROH Supercard of Honor, and days later, it was announced that he had officially signed with All Elite Wrestling.
McGuinness has a long history with ROH, where his feuds with Bryan Danielson became the stuff of legend. He later worked for IMPACT Wrestling as well as numerous independent companies. However, following numerous injuries and health complications, McGuinness retired from in-ring competition in 2011, turning his attention instead to the commentary booth.
After commentating in ROH for a number of years, he signed with WWE in 2016, finally realizing his childhood dream of working for the largest wrestling company in the world. He commentated various programs during his time with the company including NXT, NXT UK, 205 Live, and Main Event. He was released from his contract with the sports entertainment giant in October of 2022, something he said didn’t come as a surprise in the ever-changing landscape of the company.
Nigel McGuinness Believes He And Bryan Danielson Could Tell A Great Story
On the April 5th episode of Dynamite, Tony Khan revealed that All Elite Wrestling would be making its UK debut in August, and they would be doing so with a huge show inside Wembley Stadium. The event will be the first All In held under the AEW banner, as the first event of that name was held prior to the company’s formation.
In a new interview with Stephanie Chase, McGuinness was asked what it would take for him to make a return to the ring at AEW All In and if he had any opponent in mind. His answer was unequivocal: if he’s ever going to come out of retirement, it would need to be for an opponent like Danielson given the shared history between the two.
“Obviously it would have to be someone like Dragon, given our history and the true story that’s there. I think the best stories, the best angles in wrestling always have that undercurrent of reality. And it’s just so real there, it’s just so real and it’s so honest and authentic, and nuanced as well in a sense, it’s not just as simple as a good guy and a bad guy.
“You can understand, you can identify with both of our journeys as well, very different journeys you know. We were once in the same direction and now gone on completely different paths, but there’s a lot of emotion there to establish.
“And even if that means me just being on commentary for a match of him as well, that’s certainly there to play out.”
While the two were both employed by WWE, Danielson (then known as Daniel Bryan) took part in a WWE-produced documentary on McGuinness’ career, heaping praise on his former rival.
If you use any part of this transcription, please credit Stephanie Chase and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.