Nigel McGuinness: I Retired Because I Couldn’t Make A Living As A Wrestler, Not Because Of Concussions Or Hepatitis

Nigel McGuinness sets the record straight.

Nigel McGuinness sets the record straight.

Nigel McGuinness was previously one of ROH’s top stars, and he held the ROH World Championship. He also had a run in TNA, but injuries derailed his in-ring career, and he retired from competition in 2011. Since then, he has transitioned into commentary. However, McGuinness returned to the ring at AEW All In, and he is set to face Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.

In an interview with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, McGuinness was asked to comment on how his history with concussions and other injuries played into his mindset as he started taking bumps while he prepared for his return. He explained that it didn’t, and he clarified that he retired because he could not make a living as a wrestler anymore.

“It didn’t really. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation. The truth of the matter is when I stepped away from wrestling, it was purely because I couldn’t make a living as a wrestler anymore. I could have gone back to Ring of Honor and wrestled that style, but I wouldn’t have made enough money to even afford health insurance, let alone save for the rest of my life. That style in Ring of Honor just wasn’t doable. WWE wasn’t interested in me because of an old arm injury, even though it was perfectly healed. I didn’t want to go back to TNA given what happened there. That was it. There was no AEW or anywhere else to make a living wrestling. I had no choice,” McGuinness said.

McGuinness continued by highlighting how he hoped that “The Last of McGuinness” documentary could get his story out there. In doing so, he hoped that someone would want to let him tell the rest of his story. McGuinness reiterated that he did not step away from the ring due to concussions or hepatitis, as he was able to wrestle. He noted that one was always aware of the possibility of injuries and the risks, but the rewards outweighed them.

“When I retired and did that documentary The Last of McGuinness, it was partly because if I could get my story out there, perhaps someone would catch on to it and tell the rest of the story. Little did I know it would take until now with Tony Khan and AEW. I didn’t step away because of concussions. I didn’t step away because of hepatitis. I was perfectly okay to wrestle. So it’s all not a factor going in. You obviously are cognizant of the possibility of injuries and stuff like that, but you try to keep it out of your head. It’s just like anything else in life. There are risks involved, but the rewards outweigh them,” McGuinness said.

During the interview, Nigel McGuinness also discussed returning to the ring. Check out his comments here.

Fightful will have coverage of AEW Dynamite as it airs on September 18th, as well as a post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.