Nigel McGuinness wasn’t just selling that battered foot on the road to AEW All In. The injury was real—and AEW turned it into the story that carried him all the way to Wembley Stadium.
McGuinness injured his foot during his first-round Continental Challenge Cup match against Katsuyori Shibata at the August 12 AEW Collision taping. The match aired on August 15, and the injury became a major target for every opponent McGuinness faced for the rest of the tournament.
Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez confirmed that McGuinness was legitimately hurt and said AEW incorporated the injury into his matches so he could make it through the tournament final.
“So, as it turns out, Nigel legit hurt his foot in the tournament, and they turned it into a storyline to get through to Wembley.”
McGuinness continued wrestling despite the injury. He defeated Hechicero in the quarterfinals on the August 19 episode of AEW Dynamite in Baltimore before beating Kyle O’Reilly in the semifinals on August 26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
That set up a showdown with Jon Moxley in the Continental Challenge Cup final at AEW All In, with Moxley’s AEW Continental Championship also on the line.
Moxley immediately targeted the damaged foot, ripping away the tape and repeatedly attacking McGuinness’ ankle. After 17 minutes and 12 seconds, he trapped McGuinness in a grapevined ankle lock. McGuinness came within inches of reaching the ropes before finally tapping out.
The injury added to McGuinness’ homecoming match, but it also meant he fought through multiple tournament rounds on a damaged foot just to reach Wembley. AEW used a painful real-life setback to build the finish, with Moxley exploiting the same injury that McGuinness had carried since the opening round.
Were you surprised to learn that Nigel McGuinness’ foot injury was legitimate, and did it make his AEW All In match with Jon Moxley more impressive? Leave your feedback in the comments.
