Nigel McGuinness Reveals He Recently Got Back In The Ring

Nigel McGuinness has revealed he was back in the squared circle last week and everything "felt perfectly okay."

Appearing on Wrestling Weekly with Les Thatcher and Victor Sosa, McGuinness said:

"I think there's a lot of similarities between your career (Les Thatcher) and I certainly... All the time that I was in WWE, how difficult it was for me and I think a lot of the... I don't want to say the jealousy and the bitterness but those sort of emotions that certainly existed between me and Bryan (Danielson) and the success that he had. Obviously, when I was in WWE, seeing so many of my peers coming up and having that level of success and that level of fame and the fortune was very difficult for me certainly to sort of accept. 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."

McGuinness retired in December 2011, with it being revealed in his The Last of McGuinness documentary that he previously came close to signing with WWE but they wouldn't medically clear him as the company felt McGuinness needed surgery for a partially torn biceps. McGuiness signed with TNA instead, wrestling as Desmond Wolfe, but he spent 14 months out of the ring due to a Hepatitis B diagnosis.

TNA ended up releasing McGuinness and he revealed on AEW Unrestricted in 2023 why he decided to retire following a retirement tour on the indies.

"WWE weren't interested, TNA, certainly not going back there. Ring of Honor, thankfully, were very good enough to bring me in. Like I said, I didn't want to go back to wrestling that Ring of Honor style. I didn't think I could do it anymore. I felt like there were younger guys who deserved those opportunities, so Delirious and Ring of Honor were good enough to bring me in as a commentator," McGuinness stated.

The former ROH World Champion worked towards an in-ring return at All In 2023 but Bryan Danielson's injury meant McGuinness decided not to work the show. The two former rivals have continued to insult each other on AEW programming over the past several months and AEW will return to Wembley Stadium for All In 2024 this August.

H/T POST Wrestling & Wrestling Inc.