Nigel McGuinness is one of the biggest indie stars to never get a far crack at becoming a WWE Superstar.
The Englishman was a big star in Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action, but never managed to make it as a wrestler in Vince McMahon’s company.
He did agree to sign for the company in 2009, before his last match in ROH against Bryan Danielson. However, a bicep injury caused WWE to pull the offer, and set off a chain of events that led to him retiring from wrestling in 2011.
Whilst he never signed for the WWE, he actually wrestled once for the company. In this article, we’ll talk you through Nigel McGuinness WWE debut, and tell you how his first (and last) WWE match went.
Nigel McGuinness Wrestled Danny Basham In His WWE Debut
Nigel McGuinness first and only WWE match took place on an episode of Sunday Night Heat.
The show took place on the 11th of September 2005 edition of the show. At the time, Nigel McGuinness was the Ring of Honor Pure Champion, although that was not referenced upon his WWE debut.
Facing Danny Basham in a singles match, Nigel McGuinness was not given an entrance for his lone WWE appearance as a wrestler. He was brought in to wrestle on Heat, after appearing in OVW (WWE’s developmental territory).
There is no report of WWE being interested in Nigel before or after this match. He was not signed after the bout, which was a glorified squash match, used to make Danny Basham look good.
He managed a couple of punches and an attempted backslide pin, but that is all the offence that Nigel McGuinness managed in the WWE. McGuinness lost to Danny Bashma after a Scorpion Death Drop in a little over four minutes.
This was Nigel McGuinness only match in a WWE ring. They neglected to sign him until he retired from wrestling in 2011. Five years later in 2016, he signed with the WWE as a commentator, a role that he lasted six years before being released at the end of 2022.
While he seems content with his career being over and being a commentator for AEW, a fully-fledged Nigel McGuinness run in the WWE at his peak would have been a sight to behold.
