Nigel McGuinness: I Wish Tony Khan Was Around When ROH Was Revolutionizing The Industry

AEW is set to hold its biggest show ever on August 27 when over 80,000 fans pack Wembley Stadium for AEW All In. 

Ring of Honor will be represented on the show as ROH champions Claudio Castagnoli and Samoa Joe competed on the main card while the ROH Tag Team Championships will be on the line during the AEW All In Zero Hour pre-show as Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defend the titles against MJF & Adam Cole. 

Speaking to Tempest of Wrestletalk, representing Fightful, former ROH Champion and ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness was asked about ROH having representation on AEW All In. 

“It’s huge. If Adam Cole and MJF win the titles and are the Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions in the main event, that would raise the profile even more. That’s always been the problem with Ring of Honor. It’s a company that, certainly in the early 2000s, I don’t think there is much of an argument where (we were) revolutionizing the industry, but there weren’t enough eyes on it. When we had those opportunities to jump to that next level, financially, for whatever reason, it just never took off. It would have been lovely if Tony [Tony Khan] would have been around at that point to be able to help us get to that stage. Now that Tony is on board, we have the opportunity, but because so much time has passed, what was the Ring of Honor style, you can make the argument is now the pro wrestling style because so many of the Ring of Honor guys are top guys in the companies. Kevin Steen [Kevin Owens], Sami Zayn, the list goes on. Everybody took that style and took it everywhere else. Now, it’s very hard for Ring of Honor to stand on it’s own and be different because the in-ring style is the same as everywhere else. How do you differentiate that? That’s the million-dollar question,” said Nigel.

ROH famously worked with multiple promotions during their peak, including NJPW. AEW has continued that, striking a partnership with NJPW that has led to major success with the Forbidden Door events. 

Asked about AEW continuing some traditions of ROH, Nigel replied, “It talks about a love and respect for professional wrestling, the art form and the history. Whether you like it or don’t like it, Vince McMahon took pro wrestling and made it sports entertainment. It’s his vision and, for better or worse, that’s the way it is. With AEW and Ring of Honor, they are more open to accepting they are part of the legacy and the history of this industry that has evolved over 100 years.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Nigel confirmed that he will not be wrestling at AEW All In. You can find his full comments by clicking here. 

Fans can check out the lineup for AEW All In by clicking here. Fightful will have coverage of the event on August 27. 

Watch the full interview with Nigel in the video above.