Subhojeet Mukherjee on June 6, 2023
Nigel McGuinness was one of the most exciting superstars to make a name for themselves in Ring of Honor. The former WWE color commentator is also known to hang in the ring with the likes of Bryan Danielson, Jimmy Rave, and Chris Hero. Now it appears that he set foot in the ring for the first time in 10 years at a recent PROGRESS show.
According to Wrestling News.co, Nigel McGuiness was the referee for the final of Super Strong Style 16, marking the first time he stepped foot in a ring in a decade during the latest PROGRESS show.
It was said that Nigel McGuiness was heavily involved in the Super Strong Style 16 tournament final between Kid Lykos and Mark Haskins as the special guest referee. Throughout the match, Haskins taunted McGuiness and this led to a physical retaliation from McGuinness. Naturally, this had a part to play in Lykos’ victory.
Returning to PROGRESS Wrestling after an absence of several years, McGuinness couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for being back in the vibrant wrestling community. The last time he had graced the PROGRESS stage was in 2014, and witnessing the passionate reactions from the fans reminded him of the unifying power of professional wrestling.
“It was an incredible weekend. I felt nervous but excited at the same time, and I couldn’t wait to see all the competitors in the ring and find out who would be the winner of this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament.
“I really enjoyed sitting next to Ollie Spring on the commentary desk. I honestly thought I was going to be sat next to SoCal Val, but Ollie did a wonderful job.
“It was amazing to be back at PROGRESS Wrestling. The last time I was here was in 2014 and the passionate reaction from the fans towards professional wrestling is what we are all bound by. It truly was a dream come true.
It is the first time I have been in the ring during a match for a decade. It was a great experience to hear the reaction of the crowd, it lived up to the hype. Kid Lykos deserved to win, and he has a great opportunity now to win the gold against the man they call the Sovereign Lord, Spike Trivet.
When you retire and step away from the ring, you must put all of that emotion behind you, but by going back in it made all of the hairs on my neck stand up!”
I admit, I got involved in the final a little bit. Haskins was frustrated as the match went further on and you can understand that, but he took things too far and I had to rein him in.
Kid Lykos is a lovely fella, and he has not just won the PROGRESS Wrestling fans over, but he has won me over too! He played nice and straight throughout the match and he deserved to win!”
That being said, Nigel McGuiness is still afraid he would kill himself in the ring if he actually wrestled again. With AEW All In set to take place in August, perhaps fans should accept the fact that he will not wrestle there.
What’s your view on Nigel McGuiness’ return? Do you think he can still compete at AEW All In? Let us know in the comments!
June 6, 2023 2:13 pm
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