Nigel McGuinness and Hikaru Shida Notes from AEW All In Media Day (Patreon)

Nigel McGuinness Notes

WrestleTalk.com’s Tempest represented Fightful Select for AEW All In Media Day and had the opportunity to chat with former ROH World Champion and AEW Collision Commentator Nigel McGuinness.

The first question right out of the gate that Tempest asked McGuinness was if he would be wrestling at All In. McGuinness jokingly said we were not the first to ask him that question. He said he would not be wrestling because “clamdigger Bryan Danielson, or clamdigger Brittle Danielson,” as some people call him, is not there. McGuinness added that there was no match for him. Nigel would add that he believes he’s better off as a commentator.

The London, England native also said that he is excited about many of the matches on the show and to be part of the environment at Wembley, where he was 31 years ago [SummerSlam ‘92],

Fightful would ask Nigel about the differences between doing commentary for the WWE and AEW. Nigel said that because you’re under the WWE umbrella, there are certain things you talk about and that you don't talk about. He added that there's more leeway and more freedom in AEW. He said that in some ways, it's a good thing, and in some ways, it's not, and compared it to two different flavors of ice cream.

Nigel said he felt a little bit more artistic in AEW. He said that he is okay to talk about his history in terms of matches that he’s had and being a wrestler. He noted in WWE; he said he could vaguely speak about it. Nigel told Fightful that seeing the ROH World Tag Team titles being defended at All In is huge. Nigel said if MJF and Adam Cole win the titles, that would raise the profile of ROH. He mentioned how it would have been lovely if Tony Khan had been around to help get ROH to a bigger stage.

When asked what the “Ring of Honor” style was, Nigel said it’s a style that many people who were in Ring of Honor ended up taking with them, and we see it today and mentioned Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn as examples. When asked how differentiates between companies, Nigel said, “That’s the million-dollar question.”

When asked what it says regarding AEW and ROH working with outside companies such as NJPW and DDT, Nigel said it shows the love and respect for pro wrestling. He would add that  Vince McMahon took pro wrestling and made it sports entertainment, and it's his vision, for better or worse.

Tempest would ask Nigel how he feels about his past matches with Bryan Danielson, having been so heralded over the last almost 20 years. Nigel said he is very proud of his matches with Danielson. Nigel would talk about Danielson some more and made fun of him by taking six months off because “he broke one little arm, where he's got 205 perfectly normal bones in his body.”  Nigel would say that Danielson is the best wrestler of his generation, or perhaps any generation.

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Hikaru Shida Notes

Tempest would also speak with the AEW Women’s Champion, Hikaru Shida. Shida told Fightful that winning the AEW Women’s World title for the second time in a packed stadium differed from winning it in front of no fans.

Shida told Tempest that winning the title for the second time was the greatest moment in her life. Shida says she can’t imagine the crowd All In but states that she’s physically and mentally ready for the match. Shida revisited her history with Britt Baker; she said Baker needed to be in the four-way title match at All In, as she and Baker are [the] AEW Women’s Division. The 15-year veteran said her connection with Baker is special.

Shida noted that her match with Jamie Hayter from AEW Dynamite’s Holiday Bash in December 2022 was her best match in AEW. She said it was very special for her and told us she is happy to showcase Joshi style to the world and an American audience. She said it is one of the biggest reasons she’s in AEW. Shida said that she hopes some women who competed in the AEW overseas tournament in 2021 will eventually get to come over and wrestle in front of big crowds.