Nigel McGuinness: Who is Bryan Danielson’s Challenger for AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam?

Last month at AEW All In 2024, we crowned a new AEW World Champion in Bryan Danielson. Earlier that night, a new number-one contender for the championship was named, with Christian Cage winning the Casino Gauntlet match. And in one of the biggest shocks of the year, fans saw the return of one Nigel McGuiness.

And now, one month later, at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam on September 25th, AEW will have Darby Allin and Jon Moxley’s main event for Darby’s number one contender’s opportunity for the AEW World Championship.

But who exactly is Danielson’s opponent at Grand Slam? If you want to know more about this legendary star, and probably Danielson’s greatest rival, we’re here to chronicle the career of Nigel McGuinness.

Who is Nigel McGuinness?

In the Casino Gauntlet match at All In 2024, Nigel McGuinness made his much-anticipated return to the ring. McGuinness is an English professional wrestler who had a lot of potential when he was on the rise.

In 1998, he began training and wrestling for the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA). He started making a name for himself in 2003 when he signed to Ring of Honor. Wrestling fans know him as either Nigel McGuinness or Desmond Wolfe.

Ironically, the 2011 Wolfe run in TNA Wrestling was his last wrestling run before retiring due to medical complications and injuries. Later that year, he returned to ROH as a color commentator.

In 2016, he signed up for WWE under the WWE NXT and NXT UK brands as a commentator. He was released in 2022, but in 2023, he came back to ROH and debuted in AEW as a commentator. As a competitor, he made quite a name for himself.

Major Accomplishments

Starting with HWA, McGuinness won each of their big three championships twice, the HWA European, Tag Team, and Heavyweight championships.

He also won the New Breed Wrestling Heavyweight title twice and the Fist Wrestling Heavyweight title once. In, ROH he claimed the Pure Championship once and the ROH World Championship once.

Other accomplishments of McGuinness include the 1PW Openweight Championship, the 2007 King of Europe Cup, the 2009 Newcomer of the Year, and, in 2009, being ranked 6th among the top 500 singles wrestlers.

He accomplished a lot and looked to be getting a big push in TNA before being forced to retire suddenly, which leads us to his return and history with Bryan Danielson.

ROH: The Beginnings of an Acclaimed Odyssey

The long history of Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness started in ROH. Both superstars roughly started with the company about the same time. In 2005 Danielson won the ROH World Championship before McGuinness.

On August 12, 2006, Danielson and McGuinness fought for Danielson’s ROH World Championship and McGuinness’ ROH Pure Championship.

Danielson would defeat McGuinness, taking the Pure Championship from him and unifying both titles. However, in 2007, Danielson took a sabbatical from ROH, and while he was away, McGuinness climbed to the top of the mountain.

On October 6, 2007, McGuinness did something Danielson had never done during his time in ROH.

McGuinness won the ROH World Championship by defeating Danielson’s kryptonite Takeshi Morishima. When Danielson came back, the spotlight was right on Danielson while McGuinness was beginning to ascend as one of ROH’s franchise superstars.

Both superstars left the company roughly around the same time.

TNA and WWE Difference

Every time McGuinness and Danielson fought their matches were personal. It was bloody, brutal, technical wrestlers. Both thought they were the best and wanted to prove it. Both superstars thought of each other as their biggest competition.

In 2010-2011, McGuinness chose TNA as his next destination, while the latter chose WWE.

At the same time, Danielson started slowly in WWE McGuinness as Wolfe would climb up the rankings of TNA rapidly. Fans of TNA thought it would not be longer before Wolfe would win a major championship in their company. However, injuries slowed Wolfe down, and they eventually had to retire.

Meanwhile, Danielson was winning championships left and right, becoming a fan favorite. McGuinness retired in 2011, but he was barely hitting his prime. Danielson won his first World Heavyweight Championship in 2011 for the WWE.

Danielson’s and McGuinness Over the Last Few Years

While Danielson climbed the top of the mountaintop for WWE on many occasions, he had to forcefully retire due to injuries in a similar fashion to McGuinness. Danielson walked away from WWE in 2016, and that same year, WWE hired McGuinness back as a commentator.

McGuinness was a great commentator but was released in 2022, while in 2021, Danielson would have one final WrestleMania chance to win a championship before signing to AEW later that year. When McGuinness came to AEW in 2023 as a commentator, he would not stop bashing and belittling Danielson.

In 2023, we got to see McGuiness’ jealousy of Danielson. Now we are in 2024, and Danielson finally won the AEW World Championship on the same night McGuinness made his in-ring return. Now at 48 is it too late for McGuinness?

At Grand Slam, Nigel McGuinness will try his all to defeat the World Champion and earn a future World Championship opportunity. Will McGuinness finally surpass Danielson and cement himself as one of the best like Danielson did?

Find out this Wednesday at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam!

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