In a recent episode of the podcast “Talk is Jericho”, Nigel McGuinness opened up about his journey as a commentator in the world of professional wrestling, specifically highlighting the significant role that Michael Cole of WWE played in moulding his career.
Over the course of his tenure with WWE, McGuinness honed his skills as a commentator before parting ways with the company and joining AEW.
Recalling his early days with WWE, McGuinness shared, “I got a call from Michael Cole in WWE, that would’ve been late 2017, late 2016, I don’t exactly remember the year. They wanted me to step into the commentator’s role based on my prior work in Ring Of Honor. When I moved to WWE, they explicitly mentioned that if my ambitions lie in wrestling, this job wouldn’t be a fit. They wanted me solely as a commentator. This suited me fine as my wrestling days were behind me. It’s probably accurate to say that if I know 100 different elements about professional wrestling commentary, around 99 of them were taught by Michael Cole, so I’ll always appreciate his mentorship. Now that I’ve transitioned to AEW, I can bring all the skills and knowledge I accumulated at WWE and use the best of those while leaving behind the rest. In this new setting, I can truly exercise creativity and innovation.”
Also shedding light on her WWE journey in her latest “Mone Mag” newsletter, Mercedes Mone spoke about the commendations she received from Vince McMahon himself after her significant WWE fights. She had memorable face-offs against Bayley in 2015 for the NXT Women’s Championship and fought Bianca Belair in the main event of WrestleMania 39 (Night One).
Mone shared her experiences, saying, “At the NXT Brooklyn takeover match against Bayley, Vince approached me, embraced me in a huge hug, and commended our performance. The most unforgettable appreciation, though, came after WrestleMania and my main event with Bianca. He hugged me and seemed to be holding back tears. He voiced his satisfaction with our show and declared that we warranted the main event. It was an incredible feeling to be recognized in such a manner.”
After exiting WWE in 2022, Mone signed up with AEW at the start of this year.