By Holden McNeil
Nigel McGuinness has amassed himself quite a resume here in Ring of Honor. From his debut at “Wrath of the Racket” in August of 2003 to his most recent ROH World Title match with Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn, and defending champ Austin Aries, McGuinness has almost done it all. He was the longest reigning Pure Champion at 350 days, and 2nd longest reigning World Champion at 545 days; he is tied with Bryan Danielson for most successful World Title defenses at 38, and is considered by some to be the best champion in company history. The only blemish on his record, and one he coincidentally shares with Danielson, is that he never became ROH World Tag Team Champion.
Inside the ring Nigel has proven himself as proficient at the European Style as he is at standing toe-to-toe with the best strikers in the wrestling world. At times he has done whatever his body could handle to try and gain that victory, and other times Nigel has earned the wrath of the ROH faithful for not putting his wellbeing at risk. The fans have seen many different shades of Nigel, but one thing that has been consistent through them all is his ability inside the ring. So join us as we take a look back at the storied ROH career of Nigel McGuinness.
The first time the ROH fanbase got a look at Nigel McGuinness was at “Wrath of the Racket” in the fall of ’03. That night Nigel beat Chet Jablonski in a #1 Contender’s Match for the HWA Title, and showed a lot of promise in that victory; little did anyone know the fighter this young Brit would develop into. It was a few months before Nigel graced the ROH ring again at “Main Event Spectacles” in a tag team win with former ROH Champion Xavier as his partner. Several months later at “The Battle Lines Are Drawn”, Nigel, now the HWA Champion, defeated Cody Hawke to retain that belt. This night was also the first time fans saw McGuinness bleed, but it would certainly not be the last.
Nigel returned to ROH for the biggest show in history at that time, “At Our Best”, where he battled Jerry Lynn for the first time in the ROH ring. That night the veteran got the best of McGuinness, and for all we know McGuinness could have held onto that loss ever since. Based on how things went down when their paths crossed again, it certainly seems like a possibility. After that loss Nigel put in his time, gaining valuable experience against the like of Austin Aries, Jimmy Jacobs, and Rocky Romero until he took part in a Four Corner Survival at “Reborn: Completion” with a shot at the Pure Title on the line. Unfortunately it wasn’t McGuinness’ destiny to get that shot, at least not yet, as Doug Williams advanced, and actually defeated Alex Shelley to become the new Pure Champion.
Now McGuinness had something to focus on though. Coming so close that night, and again when he lost to John Walters at “Testing The Limit” gave Nigel a goal to accomplish with each of his ROH matches. His first chance to actually achieve that goal came at “Glory By Honor III” against newly crowned Pure Champ John Walters. That initial shot wasn’t terribly successful for Nigel as Walters walked away with the title still in his possession. Sometimes though a loss can be just as effective as a win; in this case because that loss lit a fire under Nigel that motivated him to victory over Homicide at “Midnight Express Reunion” as well as wins at “ROH Gold” and “Joe vs. Punk II”. At “Weekend of Thunder N.1” Nigel picked up another huge win when he and unlikely partner John Walters beat Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal. The following night saw McGuinness draw with another technical aficionado in Chad Collyer.
From this unsettled bout came a level of respect that brought Collyer & Nigel together to unsuccessfully challenge The Rottweilers for the ROH Tag Titles at “All Star Extravaganza II”. 2005 opened up with Nigel facing the recently dethroned World Champ, Samoa Joe, in singles competition for the first time. While unsuccessful in this bout, a long standing rivalry would emerge over the course of the next several months. But before that really got rolling, Nigel would lost to Colt Cabana at “3rd Anniversary Pt. 2” and then team with him in a non-title victory over Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer at “Part 3” with Bobby Heenan in their corner. That non-title win allowed Colt & Nigel to challenge for the belts, albeit unsuccessfully, at “Back to Basics”. Nigel blamed Cabana for that loss, leading to a match between the two of them at “Manhattan Mayhem” that Nigel won after a questionably accidental kick to the groin.
Colt got a measure of revenge at “Final Showdown” when he and Doug Williams beat Nigel & Chad Collyer, but the next night at “Nowhere to Run” Nigel again picked up the win, this time after a blatant low blow. Nigel took another stab at the Pure Title at “Future is Now” against champion Samoa Joe, but again was unable to wrest the belt from its holder. Cabana fought Nigel in a “European Rules” Match at “Escape From New York” and again managed to get the win with some questionable tactics throughout. “Fate of an Angel” would herald the debut of Claudio Castagnoli in ROH when he faced off against McGuinness. Nigel secured the victory with the Tower of London, but this would mark the beginning of a new nemesis for McGuinness.
Nigel & Collyer again challenged for the ROH Tag Titles at “Redemption”, this time against BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs, but once again were unable to become champions. A “Soccer Riot” match at “Night of Grudges II” with Cabana saw Colt get a leg up on McGuinness in their feud, and at “Dragon Gate Invasion” Nigel’s lengthy quest to become Pure Champion finally came to fruition when he defeated Samoa Joe. August 27, 2005 marked the beginning of the longest Pure Title reign in ROH history and included defenses against Roderick Strong at “Glory by Honor IV”; BJ Whitmer at “Survival of the Fittest 2005”, Jay Lethal at “Joe vs. Kobashi”, and that was just in the first six weeks.
At “Enter The Dragon” Claudio Castagnoli stepped up once again to challenge McGuinness, albeit in a non-title match, but unlike their initial encounter, Castagnoli defeated Nigel here. Nigel retained the title in a rematch with Samoa Joe at “Buffalo Stampede”, and again held onto the belt at “Showdown in Motown” over Castagnoli in a very shady fashion. A rematch at “Final Battle 2005” put two referees in play to make sure Nigel didn’t cheat, but it ultimately ended up getting Claudio disqualified for trying to beat Nigel at his own game.
Nigel’s title run continued with victories over Tony Mamaluke at “Hell Freezes Over”, Aries at “Unscripted II”, Claudio once more at “Best In The World”, and Christopher Daniels at “Weekend of Champions, N.1”. The following evening at “WoC N.2” saw the dawning of a rivalry that has continued to this very day. That night ROH officials put Nigel McGuinness opposite Bryan Danielson with both the Pure and World Titles up for grabs. In the first of many tremendous matches between the two, both men retained their specific titles as Nigel won via countout. This was just the beginning for Nigel versus Bryan…
Jay Lethal came up short in a title rematch at “Ring of Homicide” just as Nigel & Colt did in their Tag Title shot at “In Your Face”. Countout victories over Homicide & Strong at “Chi-Town Struggle” and “Death Before Dishonor IV” respectively lengthened Nigel’s title reign even further, and another successful defense over Colt Cabana at “War of the Wire II” set the stage for Nigel’s World Title match with Danielson at “Generation Now”. It proved to be another top-shelf confrontation, but this time it would be Danielson’s night as he retained the World Title over his challenger.
One more successful defense over Delirious at “Time To Man Up” brought McGuinness back into the ring with Danielson. This time it was as part of ROH’s first real show in the UK, and the bout would be fought as a Unification Match. Widely considered one of the best matches in ROH history, it was a battle of attrition as both Nigel and Bryan gave it their all; blood was spilt, thankfully no bones were broken, and in the end it was Danielson who stood with both titles in his possession. Bryan would go down in history as the last Pure Champion, but Nigel would forever be known as the greatest.
At “Epic Encounter II”, Nigel and Bryan went one more time for the ROH World Title, this time under 2/3 Falls Rules. With one fall captured each, the 60 minute time limit would expire, and Danielson would actually have to be helped out of the ring. Nigel would be honored at “Glory by Honor V, N.2” as the first person to receive a GHC Heavyweight Title Match on American soil. The champion at the time was Naomichi Marufuji, and despite Nigel’s best efforts, he would remain champion in this must-see battle. The rest of the year would see Nigel working his way back into title contention with victories over John Walters, Jimmy Jacobs, Jimmy Rave, and the team of Danielson & Rave. The matches would Rave evolved into a vicious rivalry after Jimmy defeated Nigel at “Final Battle 2006” and refused to relinquish his heel hook.
2007 got off to a rough start with losses to Joe at “Dedicated” and Rave again at “Battle Of The Icons” in an “I Quit Match”. McGuinness & Cabana actually teamed up in a few successful matches against The Briscoes and Jacobs & Albright, and Nigel successfully partnered with Morishima against Joe & Homicide at “5th Year Festival: Chicago” in Joe’s last U.S. ROH match. Joe redeemed that pinfall loss at “FYF: Liverpool” and beat Rave in a “Fight Without Honor” at “FYF: Finale”. Coming back from the UK, Nigel refocused on capturing the World Title with his first shot at Morishima coming at the “Fighting Spirit” event. That wouldn’t be Nigel’s night, but undaunted he would continue to keep his eyes on the prize.
His next chance at Morishima came as part of a tag match that main evented ROH’s 1st PPV offering, “Respect Is Earned”. Nigel teamed with KENTA to face Danielson & Morishima but came up short in their challenge. At the “Domination” event, Nigel once again met one-on-one with Danielson in a #1 Contender’s Match, but again was unsuccessful in his quest to become champion. In a twist, Nigel actually got a shot at the ROH World Title before Danielson at “Live in Tokyo” but fell victim once again to the behemoth Morishima. Surprisingly Nigel & Bryan actually united to challenge Jay & Mark Briscoe for the ROH World Tag Titles at “Race To The Top N.1” but were unsuccessful in that endeavor. Over the course of “Death Before Dishonor V” weekend, Nigel fell to Chris Hero in both singles action as well as in a tag team match, but rebounded with a victory at “Caged Rage” in a Four Corner Survival.
A victory at the “Man Up” PPV as part of a Four Corner Survival put Nigel in line for a title shot at the “Undeniable” PPV. Announced as Nigel’s last shot at Morishima, McGuinness excelled under the pressure and finally bested the Japanese monster to become the 10th ROH World Champion. Nigel was immediately thrown to the wolves as he faced Bryan Danielson in a non-title match at “Survival of the Fittest 2007” that went to a time limit draw, and then successfully defended the title against Jay Briscoe at “Chaos at the Cow Palace”.
And then the injury bug bit Nigel for the first time during this title reign. As it turned out, Nigel had bested Jay with a serious bicep injury that left officials questioning whether or not McGuinness would be able to continue competing. Although Nigel told officials he would be ok, and defeated Chris Hero at “Glory by Honor VI, N.1”, he was still forced to sit on the sidelines at “GHB VI, N.2” to prevent further injury, and miss his scheduled title defense against Austin Aries.
Instead Aries would receive that title opportunity as part of the “Rising Above” PPV taping and it would prove to be one of the best matches of the year. Aries and Danielson battled harder than either man possibly ever had before, and at some point during the match, McGuinness’ head was busted open on the guardrails and he fought the rest of the match with a serious concussion. While Nigel did manage to retain the title, he was forced by ROH officials to go to the hospital for observation, and it was highly recommended he not compete the following night at “Final Battle 2007” in his scheduled Four Corner Survival title defense. When the announcement was made the following evening, Nigel was greeted with boo’s and chants of an extremely derogatory nature. Half the fans wanted him to give up the belt, the other half were actually concerned about the champion’s wellbeing. And it was this reception that set McGuinness on the path that would dominate the rest of his ROH career.
Nigel returned to action at “Breakout” where he defeated Chris Hero inside a Steel Cage, and bested Roderick at “Without Remorse” to again retain the title. An epic battle at “6th Anniversary Show” saw Nigel retain the belt once more, this time over Danielson, and saw Nigel further earn the wrath of the ROH faithful with the manner in which he beat American Dragon. It was at the “Take No Prisoners” PPV taping where another man would step up to challenge Nigel for the title, a man with whom Nigel would battle for the remainder of his reign: Tyler Black. After beating three other men earlier in the night, Black earned a shot at the belt and nearly shocked the world as he absorbed devastating amounts of punishment in his bid to become champion. Unfortunately that night was not to be Black’s night, but it did set the young Iowan up as a force to be reckoned with in the future.
“Supercard of Honor III” marked the rematch between Aries & McGuinness, and it was every bit as classic as their encounter Dec. 2007 encounter, but once again Nigel left the match with the title still in his possession. At “Bedlam In Beantown”, Erick Stevens followed in the footsteps of Tyler Black by winning a Four Corner Survival to earn a shot at the ROH World Title, but like Black, Stevens was unable to unseat the champ. Kevin Steen would be the next man to fall at “Injustice” and again in the rematch at “Return Engagement”. Nigel bested Claudio when ROH debuted in the Hammerstein Ballroom at “A New Level”, defeated Go Shiozaki at “Respect is Earned II”, lost via DQ to Adam Pearce in a NWA vs. ROH Title match at “Battle For Supremacy”, and found another challenger for his title when he defeated Jerry Lynn in a non-title contest at “Vendetta II”. Little did Nigel know how tied to the rest of his title reign Jerry Lynn would become.
Nigel continued his title run with another victory over Kevin Steen at “Northern Navigation” when ROH debuted in Toronto, and again put down Claudio in that rematch at “New Horizons”. A victory over Ruckus at “Fueling The Fire” set the stage for another victory at “Death Before Dishonor VI” over Danielson, Castagnoli, and Black in a Four Way Elimination Match. That match was highlighted by another epic battle between Black and McGuinness after Claudio & Bryan were eliminated. When ROH returned to Cleveland at “Age of Insanity”, El Generico was the next to fall to the champion who was proving himself quite dominant. A non-title fight with Bryan Danielson at “Battle of The Best” proved to be a losing effort for Nigel, but was quickly redeemed with a successful ROH Title defense over Jimmy Jacobs at “The Tokyo Summit”. At “Driven 2008”, Nigel turned away the challenge of Roderick Strong, and again beat Generico the following night at “Glory by Honor VII”.
ROH’s debut in Montreal at “The French Connection” put Nigel in the ring with Generico, Steen, and Shiozaki in an Elimination Match, but once again McGuinness made it out with the title still in his possession. A DQ loss the following night to Necro Butcher at “Bound by Hate” was followed with a loss to Aries at “Escalation” and a successful title defense against Danielson at “Rising Above 2008”. Jerry Lynn came back into the picture at “Southern Hostility” but was unable to take the ROH World Title from Nigel that Nashville night. But after McGuinness’ post-match comments, this would mark the night that truly kicked the hostilities between Nigel & Jerry into high gear.
In a rematch years in the making, McGuinness beat Marufuji at “Final Battle 2008”, retaining the ROH World Title and causing many fans to start to ask if there was anyone capable of dethroning Nigel. Well many thought that question was answered at “Full Circle” when Tyler Black soundly defeated Nigel in a non-title bout, and was then screwed the following night at “Injustice II” in his title match that ended in a controversial time limit draw. Undaunted Nigel would go on to defeat Jay Briscoe in a non-title match at “Motor City Madness 2009”, Generico at “Caged Collision”, Brent Albright at “Proving Ground ’09, N.1”, D-Lo Brown at “PG ’09, N.2”, and Black, Aries, & Jacobs at “Eliminating The Competition”.
The night after that Four Way Elimination, ROH taped its first batch of “ROH on HDNet” TV tapings, and McGuinness will forever be the man who led Ring of Honor when it debuted on TV. At “Stylin & Profilin”, Nigel lost via DQ to Albright and was beaten by the team of Jerry Lynn & Tyler Black at “Insanity Unleashed” when he partnered with Aries. A loss to KENTA & Generico at “Steel City Clash” prefaced Nigel’s epic title victory over KENTA at the “7th Anniversary Show”. Unfortunately it for McGuinness it would prove to be the last successful title defense of his reign as at “Supercard of Honor IV”, Nigel’s reign came to a close with a loss to Jerry Lynn. All told Nigel will go down in history as the 2nd longest reigning World Champion at 545 days and as tied with Bryan Danielson for most successful World Title defenses at 38. It was an historic title reign, and one in which Nigel fought with constant injury under a schedule possibly more grueling than any champion before him. After the title loss Nigel smartly took some time to heal up his injuries, and evaluate the future of his ROH career.
Nigel made his return to ROH at “Manhattan Mayhem III” when he sat ringside during the ROH World Title match in which Austin Aries became the first ever 2-time World Champion. His return to in-ring competition came in Dayton at “Violent Tendencies’ when he and Castagnoli battled to a Double Countout. At “End of An Age”, Nigel was granted the World Title return match he never received with Jerry Lynn, but was unsuccessful in dethroning Austin Aries. “Death Before Dishonor VII, N. 1” saw Nigel get another shot at the belt alongside Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn as part of a Four Corner Survival Match, but not only was he unsuccessful in this endeavor, but he also suffered a fairly serious concussion and was rushed to the emergency room following the event.
This has led to a tirade of what many consider whining and complaining from the former World Champ, and threats to make sure that every man who steps in the ring with him will end up more hurt than Nigel. But just as this new outlook on his wrestling career was beginning to take effect, it was announced that McGuinness, alongside Danielson, would be taking his leave of ROH at the end of September. Already announced as the “Final Countdown Tour”, the moniker became even more appropriate with this revelation.
In his final month, McGuinness will have to face some of the toughest competition of his ROH career. The scheduled match with Tyler Black for “ROH on HDNet” had to be changed because of injuries Black suffered that required surgery, but it was old foe Colt Cabana who stepped up and handed Nigel a loss as he made his last wrestling appearance on TV. He will be in attendance in Chicago Ridge on Sept. 19th to sign autographs, but has not agreed to compete for the Windy City fans…something about them being bloody wankers.
But when ROH heads into Boston and NYC on 9/25 & 9/26, Nigel will have to face two of his hardest fights as he goes toe-to-toe with Roderick Strong in Beantown, and then in the Big Apple Nigel faces the yin to his yang: Bryan Danielson. Their history is so rich, and their matches so epic that they have became legendary in the annals of ROH lore. And both men have promised to bring their absolute best to the SOLD OUT “Glory by Honor VIII” event in NYC. McGuinness wants to be known as the best in the world, and in his mind a victory over Danielson in this situation would cement that fact.
But the truth of the matter is that for the ROH faithful, Nigel proved himself deserving of that tag a long time ago. He will go down as one of the best champions in ROH history, one of the best wrestlers this company as ever seen, and we can only hope the best for Ol’ McGuinness as he moves forward in his life. So please, join us where you can to say goodbye, and thank you, to Nigel; tickets are still available for the Chicago Ridge and Boston events right here at www.rohwrestling.com.
