AEW commentator Nigel McGuinness spoke with The Daily Star on a number of topics, including being ranked the #1 commentator by PWI.
McGuinness said, “I didn’t even know they ranked commentators to be perfectly honest with you. Anytime someone thinks you’re good at what you’re doing is a good day. We all grew up with PWI, went down the newspaper shop to get the latest copy. I always remember, it was 2009, I was ranked number six in the world [as a wrestler], and that was wow. Its funny, we talk about that and there is a sense of realism because they [PWI] are not paid to say anybody is particularly good. You work at WWE, it’s a WWE magazine, well, you know. Whereas that seemed to be more objective and so to be considered number six in the world, certainly when Bryan Danielson was ranked number 23 in the world that same year… clearly you’ve got to think someone was very lucky.”
On being ribbed with laxatives:
“The one I really remember… when I started wrestling for Brian Dixon, there was one of the young kids on the show – Kid Pilchard – he would always put laxative in my protein shake. He’d always swear blind he didn’t do it and I always knew he did. Brian Dixon was a fantastic promoter and without him I wouldn’t be anywhere I am today but he was quite frugal, for want of a better phrase, and when you’re starting out you’re just happy to get some experience. I got to wrestle Robbie Brookside, Skull Murphy. There was one tour where he was bringing over John Tenta (Earthquake) and for whatever reason, I don’t know how he convinced John Tenta, other than he was a nice unassuming guy, who didn’t have a big ego, he had me and John Tenta share a room at one of those formula one places on the motorway. John has the big bed and I had the pull out couch. I felt awkward but it was a wonderful experience because I got to talk to him a little before he went to sleep, tucked him in -ha! The problem was I’d been laxed earlier in the day, so instead of being able to be quiet, every half an hour, Id be up into the toilet and quiet as I possibly could not to wake up this (literal) sleeping giant!”
On his favorite AEW star to call matches for:
“Christian Cage, certainly. Within my character it works perfectly because I’m a villain but even outside of Kayfabe, I just think he’s a fantastic inspiration for the boys in the back. Certainly as someone who has been around the job a long time, to show that these guys can still go. Theres something in WWE, in their mindset and its certainly not a terrible one when it comes to entertaining in general, of having the young, beautiful etc etc but for me wrestling was always about that carnival, that circus, a little bit of everything, and in WWE there would have been no Les Kellet and half the guys that really drew some crowds would have been long gone. Again, as I said, that’s their mentality and good luck to them. The beauty of AEW, what I love, is that guys like Christian and Adam Copeland can come in and show they can still go as well as anyone, and truly raise the value of guys that work with them as well. That used to be a thing you’d hear all the time. There were those of that generation that would not help young talent, they’d work with them but by the end the young talent wouldn’t look any better than when they started. Whereas now, that’s a badge of honour, I think, for guys like Adam and Christian. So certainly Christian Cage is always enjoyable, entertaining.”
