When it comes to independent professional wrestling, one of the biggest names on the current circuit is Ring of Honor world champion Nigel McGuinness*, who will defend his belt against "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson* in the highly anticipated main event at the promotion's "Rising Above" pay-per-view taping on Saturday (11/22) in Chicago Ridge.
One thing that is clear after talking to McGuinness is how passionate he is about everything he does. Some of his comments will be featured in my pro wrestling column in Thursday's (11/20) FirstLook. But here is a look at some of McGuinness' other thoughts including the new booking direction of ROH as well as what he thinks of former ROH talents CM Punk*, a Southland native who is the current World Wrestling Entertainment world tag team champion, and Colt Cabana aka Scotty Goldman, of Deerfield, who also is on the WWE roster.
When it comes to the ROH, those on the Internet such as members of ChicagoProWrestling.com, have been buzzing about Gabe Sapolsky no longer being with the promotion. And McGuinness had nothing but good things to say about Sapolsky, who had been booking for ROH since its 2002 inception.
"It's one of the behind-the-scenes things that I really wasn't too aware of before it happened," McGuinness said. "Certainly for me and from all of the rest of the boys, we were all very happy with the way he did his job. He was booker of the year. I'm world champion under his regime. Personally, I love the guy. Before I was champion, I enjoyed working for him. He was very understanding and gave us great opportunities. Obviously we're sad to see him go. Now we're going in a different direction.
"It's all about loving professional wrestling and loving ROH. We all feel that it's very important that there is an ROH, a place for young guys to come and learn their trade and give it everything they possibly can. Without that in the professional wrestling business, it would be a real shame."
McGuinness does not only wrestle for ROH, though, as he is involved with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan where he said the fans are quite different from the crowds in America.
"In Japan, fans look at professional wrestling more as an athletic endeavor instead of a carnival endeavor. In America, we see it as entertainment. The physical portion is lost on the fans sometimes," he said. "(Japanese fans) really do see it as an athletic endeavor. They don't have preconceived notions about the business. After the shows in Japan, there's always fans outside to shake your hand and give you gifts. In America, there are some of the fans as well. It's really touching when fans shake your hand and say they like what you do.
"As a general rule, the fans in America are more blase about the athletic endeavor. The American fans are a lot more vocal. You can watch a match in Japan, and they're so quiet. They're just watching. It's like a spectacle for them. It's like fireworks. You stand there and watch them. In America, people are educated on good guys and bad guys."
But that doesn't mean that McGuinness isn't appreciative of American fans who support pro wrestling and him. He recalled some New York fans being critical of him not being able to wrestle an ROH event after sustaining a concussion the night before.
"In December, I had a match with Austin Aries in New York and got my head rammed into one of the guardrails in the ring. I had 14 stiches above my eye and broke my nose. I had a concussion. The next night, I couldn't wrestle and went out there to explain to the fans that I was in the hospital until 5 in the morning after the show. It hurt my feelings about what they said about not being able to wrestle, but a lot of fans came to me that night and later on and explained that they totally supported and understood my position."
McGuinness -- who listed Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's* Samoa Joe* (who returns to ROH for one night only on Saturday), Kurt Angle and "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles as well as WWE's John Cena, Triple H and Randy Orton as some of the top talents in the business -- has been a longtime fan of wrestling.
"I guess it was just the mysterious larger-than-lifeness to it for lack of a better phrase," McGuinness said. "I grew up watching British wrestling. I was pretty enthralled by that. It wasn't so open as it is now. You didn't know how it worked. It kind of intrigued you, but it certainly didn't intrigue a lot of my friends. A lot of times, it was escape for a lot of wrestling fans. Most were social misfits as kids. We found this sort of alternate world and just got lost and developed alter egos. And some of us grew up and some of us didn't. I guess I never did. I never gave up on the dream. And I've never stopped. One day, you find yourself being ROH world champion.
"You have to have that belief in yourself and you have to have that confidence. You have to constantly tell yourself you'll be OK and you'll be good at this. It helps to have that self-belief, and it's something that should be applauded."
Two individuals whom McGuinness cited as being driven include former ROH talents CM Punk, who is part of WWE's "Raw" brand, and Colt Cabana aka Scotty Goldman, who most recently appeared as part of WWE's "SmackDown" roster.
"They're just fantastic fellows," McGuinness said. "If you look at Punk, I know a lot of guys told him not to go (to the WWE). He's an inspiration to all of us for what he's done. ... Arguably, he's in the positoin that he's in because he believed in himself.
"Colt Cabana had such a natural ability and timing. It's very difficult to teach somebody timing. ... Cabana just gets it. He was one of the guys I always looked forward to wrestling. He's a phenomenal and great talent, and hopefully some of the guys in WWE will see it for themselves and get him back on TV."
When it comes to those just starting out, McGuinness said it's important to think first when getting in the ring.
"Remember, you have a whole future ahead. Be smart. Don't go out there and kill yourself all the time. Choose the time and place for everything. You've only got so many bumps in your body. The wrestling business is about promoting yourself. We're all independent contractors, so you really have to take care of yourself," he said.
"People get very obsessed with pro wrestling. I was constantly hearing, 'You have to give up everything to be a wrestler. Forget about your friends, family.' I'm not sure that's really the case. Sometimes you meet people in various fields of life trying to get to a stage where they can reach a modicum of success. And they say, 'I'm not sure if it's worth it.' There's a big world out there. It's great to be passionate about wrestling, but it does take a tremendous amount of sacrifice."
Given the tough economy and ROH still trying to figure out how to draw new fans without a weekly television program, patience is also important on the indy scene.
"The business is cyclical," McGuinness said. "Wrestling was big in the early 1900s and it died out after the Depression. And TV came along and Gorgeous George, and it was a huge thing. It picks up and it dies down. Now mixed martial arts is the hot thing and Ultimate Fighting Championship*.
"A lot of us are waiting for the next boom and hope it will come around. ... We're in an interesting situation now. People really understand what legitimate fighting is. If you look at Japan as an example, where MMA was really big a little earlier than it was here. It really started to hurt professional wrestling between the two. It's tough. (We're) just going to have to see what people really want for entertainment. Eventually people might get a bit bored of MMA."
Regardless of where pro wrestling goes next, McGuinness said it has all been worth it and not just because he's only one of three people to have held the ROH world title for more than a year.
"(ROH is) a great place to work and a great company to be a part of," said McGuinness, who officially became a part of the roster in early 2004. "No one is making the sort of money to retire. Everyone is doing what they love. I don't hear everyone compaling about having to do this or that.
"There's very few people that can say they love going to the job. You hear that they're not happy. I've always felt happy, and I've always felt that it's a great environment -- being around people you like from a professional standpoint. We don't have any restrictions placed on us, and that's a great environment to be in."
