Nigel McGuinness Reveals What Led to His AEW In-Ring Return

Nigel McGuinness had not been an active in-ring competitor since 2011 but that changed after his in-ring return at All In last month. Fans wondered how he even managed to return to the ring and now McGuinness has revealed what ultimately led to his triumphant comeback.

Nigel McGuinness returned to the ring for his first singles match in 13 years during AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in New York City, facing off against his longtime rival, Bryan Danielson, where McGuinness ultimately tapped out to Danielson. The match has received mostly positive feedback from fans on social media.

While speaking on the Battleground podcast, McGuinness shared what led to his in-ring return. He mentioned that while on a flight with Tony Khan from Los Angeles to the East Coast, Khan discussed the upcoming event at Wembley Stadium. Playfully, McGuinness suggested that if the event sold out, he might consider wrestling again. This caught Khan’s attention, prompting him to ask if McGuinness could actually return to the ring. McGuinness responded that the only thing holding him back was himself.

Although they explored the idea further, it didn’t materialize initially due to Danielson’s injury from a match with Okada. McGuinness noted that despite Danielson suffering only one broken bone, it was used as a reason to delay their match. Fast forward a year, and with Danielson winning the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, the opportunity arose for McGuinness to enter the Casino Gauntlet match to earn a title shot. He seized the moment, which ultimately led to their showdown.

“It was a gradual thing. Certainly, the story goes, I was on Tony Khan’s plane flying from Los Angeles to the East Coast. I forget exactly where it was, and on the flight, he told me about Wembley Stadium. They were going to do that and I don’t know why, I sort of said to him, sort of tongue in cheek, ‘Well, you know, if we sell out, I might have to dust off the old boots.’ That sparked something in him.

He asked me, ‘Could you do that legitimately?’ I explained, ‘Yeah. The only thing stopping me from wrestling is me, really, to be honest with you.’ So that was a possibility then, but it didn’t work out for that year because Bryan broke his arm in that match with Okada, although, as I’ve said before, 206 bones in the human body, 205 were perfectly okay, yet somehow that was an excuse not to wrestle me. So fast forward another year, another opportunity with Bryan winning the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. He had that title opportunity and so the only option left open to me was to take part in that Casino Gauntlet match to try and earn an opportunity if Bryan was to win that night. As you saw, I shot my shot, took my opportunity, and it did pay off.”

Fans were incredibly happy to see Nigel McGuinness finally get to face off against Bryan Danielson, which was truly a dream match for many. Nonetheless, we’ll have to see if McGuinness will end up becoming a regular in-ring competitor in the future.

What’s your view on what McGuinness had to say? Do you feel he should become a regular in-ring competitor? Sound off in the comments section below!