AEW's Nigel McGuinness Reflects On Career, Unfinished Business With Bryan Danielson

After over a decade away from the ring, AEW color commentator Nigel McGuinness has come out of retirement in a big way, wrestling in the Casino Gauntlet match at AEW All In, and now preparing, hopefully, for a match against long-time rival Bryan Danielson at "AEW Grand Slam" next week. With that much activity, one can't help but feel that McGuinness may have some unfinished business in wrestling. But McGuinness, speaking with "TVInsider," suggests that's not the case.

"This is a long journey for me," McGuinness said. "When I retired back in 2011 and did my documentary, that gave me a sense of closure to some extent. When I was working in WWE, I had so many of my generational peers who went on to such success in terms of fame and money they made and in terms of their ability to wrestle on that stage. There was always an itch there. There was a sense of failure, not achieving my dream. But to a large extent, I found peace with that by the time Wembley came around. There only is Bryan who needs this squaring away in my head..."

As for what McGuinness is looking for regarding this potential match with Danielson, it's really quite simple for the former ROH World Champion.

"I want to show I was as good as him and if I can beat him at Arthur Ashe, I can prove that," McGuinness said. "It's not about the AEW title. It is prestigious but I'm not coming back to win the title, but coming back to show I was as good as Bryan Danielson. That if fortune had given me the right hand, I would have had the same success."