Folks, it’s happening. AEW Grand Slam, the show of shows, the clash of titans, the showdown we’ve all been waiting for—okay, maybe some of you didn’t even know it was happening, but now you do! The two old lions, Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, are this close to ripping into each other after 15 long years of silence, missed calls, and probably some very awkward holiday cards.
Nigel, the AEW Collision commentator and former ROH World Champion, dropped a truth bomb that was so heavy it might as well have come with a tear-streaked apology video. Posting on his X account (formerly known as Twitter, but I digress), Nigel gave fans a front-row seat to his emotional therapy session. After years of hurling insults, jabs, and maybe a few kitchen sinks at Danielson, McGuinness finally confessed to hiding behind the trash talk.
“Let me tell you something, Bryan,” Nigel began, staring deeply into the camera like a man about to narrate a Netflix docuseries. “I’ve been yapping for years, but here’s the kicker—I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at myself. My lack of success? Yeah, that’s on me. I was a coward, afraid to step into the ring, afraid of my own reflection in the shiny ROH belt I never got to keep. But if you show up tonight, Bryan, I can still have that dream—prove I was your equal.” 🎻🎻
It was Shakespearean. It was touching. It was… totally guilt-trippy. Imagine telling your old high school rival that you’ve been trash-talking them for 13 years because you couldn’t deal with your feelings. Bravo, Nigel. You played us all.
Now, here’s the kicker: McGuinness hasn’t wrestled in over a decade. Thirteen years of retirement, folks—longer than most of the kids watching AEW have even been alive. While many thought a case of Hepatitis B kept him out of action, McGuinness threw a curveball recently, revealing that he could have been wrestling for quite some time. The guy had been on a break longer than Ross and Rachel, but tonight, he’s ready for his first singles match in forever. That is, if Danielson shows up.
All eyes are on Danielson now. Will he take the challenge? Will Nigel finally achieve redemption? Or will this be a massive, highly emotional therapy session turned steel cage match? Either way, Grand Slam’s about to be grander than ever!