British wrestling veteran Nigel McGuinness recently voiced his concerns over the use of blading in AEW. McGuinness, whose wrestling career was cut short following a hepatitis B diagnosis, alluded to his personal struggle with the practice given its potential health risks.
McGuinness’s health condition shaped his career path, with him taking on a myriad of roles off the ring post-diagnosis. He opened up about his apprehensions over blading and blood usage in AEW in a recent episode of the “Insight” podcast. He stated,
“It’s definitely difficult and it is sometimes a crisis of conscience for me. Oftentimes, I don’t know if it’s going to happen and sometimes it happens by accident. So it’s certainly something I’ve thought of, and I feel very comfortable in the sense that I don’t feel I will ever be forced to do commentary in a match I didn’t feel comfortable doing so.
“It’s something that I think that maybe I will address moving forward. I’m not sure. Again, it’s hard for me to say because pre getting it myself, I would have said it’s no big deal. In the time since nobody else has tested positive so it’s hard for me to say just because of me, one example.”
Having joined AEW in 2023, McGuinness continues to be an integral part of the wrestling industry and also contributes to Ring of Honor. Prior to this, his expertise was utilized as a commentator for WWE NXT UK.