"It's like a Hollywood movie" - Former WWE star talks about his in-ring return at AEW All In

Current AEW commentator Nigel McGuinness has had quite a career. His contributions to the world of pro wrestling have been nothing short of immense. From becoming a standout star at Ring of Honor to having high-profile feuds against Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe in TNA as Desmond Wolfe, to then transitioning to a commentator for WWE NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live after being forced to retire, he has never stopped giving to the business.

He joined AEW as a commentator for Collision in 2023. During this period, McGuinness also quietly tested his physical condition, training to ensure he could wrestle again. He made a surprising comeback at All In 2024 in the Casino Gauntlet Match, shocking the world and getting one of the loudest reactions of the night.

While speaking to the Heel S#!t Podcast, Nigel was asked about his AEW return, and he said it felt nothing short of a Hollywood movie.

“It's one of those moments I've said to people, it was so surreal and you just couldn't believe it. It's just, it's like a Hollywood movie. After all those years of not wrestling as well, I mean, giving up on the dream of ever possibly doing anything like that to then walk out there on that stage, get that kind of reaction. It was just incredible. There's an odd thing with it as well. You lose that sense of grandeur after the fact becomes, I don't want to say normal, but it's not the life-changing moment that you think it will be.

He continued:

"So it's just something you're very appreciative of. It was an amazing moment, and I'll always be grateful for Tony Khan for giving me the opportunity to do it. But it doesn't, it doesn't solve anything. Any (of) life's problems, if that makes sense. In a movie, at the end of the movie, your hero gets to do what he wants to do and then off he goes into the sunset and lives happily ever after. I guess that's what I'm trying to get at.” [H/T Fightful]

You can check the full video here:

Nigel McGuinness’s Last AEW Match Was Against FTR

The last time Nigel McGuinness was seen in-ring action was at AEW Double or Nothing on May 25, 2025, where he teamed with Daniel Garcia to face FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) in a tag team match. FTR won the contest after Dax Harwood applied a Sharpshooter on Garcia, who passed out.

Nigel also took some significant bumps during the match, including a Shatter Machine on the outside, proving to the world that he could still go in the ring. It would be interesting to see when his next scheduled match is going to be.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit the original source and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.