Wrestler-turned-magician Nigel McGuiness has become one of the most iconic voices in wrestling, since turning to commentary full time.
The 48-year-old Londoner had a legendary in-ring career, and sat down with the Daily Star’s Danny Stone to talk all about it ahead of All Elite Wrestling’s return to Wembley Stadium for All In later this month.
During the chat, he recalled the time he was pranked by a young up-and-comer who decided to lace his drink with something that made an impromptu sleepover with a real living legend a little bit awkward for all involved.
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(Image: AEW)
You’re not only a wrestler but a magician, and you’ll be doing a magic show before All In. Do you have a favourite magician? Someone that inspired you to do magic maybe?
Well originally, we all grew up with Paul Daniels. Tommy Cooper, to a certain extent. Then David Blaine created that rebirth of interest, and Criss Angel to a certain extent. I think it was Derren Brown for me, who by his own admission would consider himself a magician at least in his most recent forays into public life, though he was an incredible magician starting out. I certainly think the way he has presented it, was a huge inspiration to me. The way that I do my show, a lot of the stuff comes from having watched his shows, seen how he tries to tell a story. My show is largely using wrestling as a basis to do magic, and I try and emphasise certain stories from my time in wrestling.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) has ranked you as the top commentator in wrestling. What does that mean to you? Did you ever think this would happen?
No! 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.
(Image: AEW)
This back and forth with Danielson, you’ve got history. What’s your current status?
There were some teases you might be getting back in the ring, you refereed at Progress last year for example. Could we see you and he go toe-to-toe? Is that looking more and more likely? No, I wouldn’t say its looking more likely. I’m certainly ring-ready. I get in a ring every week now, sometimes twice a week. I’ve been in the gym and I’ve been eating right, getting my body back physically. I’m doing everything else you need to do to be ring ready, in terms of flexibility, etc. BUT my meat and veg, my bread is buttered with commentary, I don’t want to step away from that. Having said that, if the right opportunity for the match arrives, then absolutely. Obviously, to finally shut up that clam digger and finally prove after all these years that I was the better wrestler and that he only got what he got by pure chance, pure luck, not hard work and dedication. It would be marvellous. It certainly didn’t happen last year because he broke his arm. Even though he had 205 bones that were perfectly fine, he decided that was a reason. Then this year he won that competition and out of sympathy they’ve given him a match just to sent him out once more into the dark unknown. So, it wont be this year, certainly, but I don’t think its ever going to happen because he’s afraid of me. Have you seen my lariats? Have you seen his neck? Those two things don’t mix in any good way.
Nigel McGuinness is your kayfabe [stage] name, were there any other names you considered or discussed?
Well, I’ve had Desmond Wolfe. Originally, when I was going to start out, when I was at school, and we learnt about Hanuman, the Hindu God, as king of the monkeys. People used to say I looked like a monkey because I had big ears that used to stick out. So they would call me Hanuman. I wanted to be a wrestler, even from that time, and I used to tell them that I would become a wrestler called Hanuman and that they’d all be laughing on the other side of their face. Thankfully, I never carried that through! But that was the other name in consideration.
You’ve run a campaign around Hepatitis B (which you contracted in the ring) and trying to prevent intentional blood-letting in wrestling. Has that campaign been successful? Is the situation improved with better protection in place?
Definitely with protections in place. Id be a fool and a liar to say its done less. Certainly in AEW, it’s a common occurrence, intentionally or otherwise. I still feel the same about it if I’m 100% honest. But if I am to look at it honestly, you would have to say I am probably the exception to the rule. To play devils advocate, the people that do advocate using blood in wrestling would say where are the sick? All the other people getting sick from it? The answer is I don’t know. Would it be covered up? I honestly don’t know. All I can tell from my experience was I wish I hadn’t bled. That isn’t to say that bleeding caused it because Hep B is so contagious that you cant get it and never know how. But that being the case, knowing its very contagious, knowing I had Hep B, would you have wanted to wrestle me if I was going to bleed? Of course not. That said, its been a decade now – and this may be controversial, but I cant think of anybody else that I can recall that had the same kind of experience and it possibly points to the fact that I was just very unlucky in that situation.
(Image: TNA)
Though as I said, with the protections, guys get regularly checked now which is good and that was the first thing I said, everybody should get checked. You should know your status. Bleeding with someone is kind of like sleeping with them. You don’t want to take that risk. Certainly from an artistic standpoint, professional wrestling as an art, I do feel like often at times it’s a cheap shortcut to an emotion, to a reaction. Though it is to each their own I guess, there are fans of hardcore wrestling and that style, I never was. For some people they say that’s what did it for them, what got them into the business. It’s a complicated topic, there’s nuance to it, and its hard to condense and confine into a short interview.
What does being at Wembley mean to you? How did you picture it growing up? Did you come and see Taylor Swift at the venue?
I’d have to make a bit more money to come and see Taylor Swift! I’d love to see Billy Joel at Wembley. I don’t know whether a Derren Brown show would work at a venue of that size. Ricky Gervais could, I’m sure, pack it out. It’s a wonderful venue, it’s the history, the legacy. To be British, this is the elite, the epitome, the absolute top stage to perform on. So to be coming back to Wembley, hairs are standing on their end. I might rock my peaky blinders look again, and it would be incredible to have Oasis blasting out but I’m not sure what it would take to do that.
(Image: AEW)
Either way, there are going to be some incredible moments like there were last year and when you look at the card, and you start to see it coming together, you can really start to get excited about some of those match ups. For me, personally, if I could just ensure that Bryan Danielson would lose….
You’ve worked in wrestling a long time, do you have a good rib [practical joke] story?
The one I really remember… when I started wrestling for Brian Dixon, there was one of the young kids on the show – Kit Pilcher – 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!
Finally, do you have a favourite AEW wrestler you like to commentate on?
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.
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