Nigel McGuinness has revealed the real reason he retired from pro wrestling back in 2011 and it once again emphasizes the importance a company like AEW has for the betterment of pro wrestling.

The AEW star spoke to TV Insider for a new interview following his long-anticipated in-ring return after 13 years at the All In 2024 event. He wrestled in the Gauntlet match at the show. Competing against the top talent of the company, Nigel showed why he was considered one of the best back in the day.

During the talk, McGuinness was asked about his return to the ring and if he was thinking about his previous injuries while taking a bump again. The 48-year-old claimed that he didn’t think much of it before mentioning how there is a lot of misinformation on why he was forced to retire:

“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.”

Nigel McGuinness recalled how WWE had passed on signing him because of an old injury and he didn’t want to go back to TNA because of past differences. Without the presence of an alternative like AEW, he had no other option to make a sustainable living in wrestling.

The former World Champion revealed that he agreed to the 2013 The Last of McGuinness documentary partially because he was hoping that it would catch on and someone would tell the rest of his story. Little did he know that it would be over a decade before it happened:

“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.”

Apart from this Nigel McGuinness also said that he has been training for an in-ring return for over 18 months, ever since he found out about the first AEW All In event from Wembley Stadium in 2023.

Nigel has challenged Bryan Danielson for a match at the upcoming Grand Slam special of Dynamite on September 25. The match has not been confirmed yet as the AEW World Champion is not cleared for action.