Nigel McGuinness was legitimately hurt during his run in the AEW Continental Challenge Cup, even though the injury was worked into the storyline over the past several weeks.
Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer reported that McGuinness injured his foot during his first-round match against Katsuyori Shibata. The bout was taped on August 12 and aired on the August 15 episode of AEW Collision.
According to Alvarez, AEW opted to fold the real injury into the story to keep McGuinness on track for All In at Wembley Stadium.
“So as it turns out, Nigel legit hurt his foot in the tournament and they turned it into a storyline to get through to Wembley.”
The update is notable because Alvarez and Dave Meltzer had previously stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that McGuinness was not legitimately injured. Meltzer went as far as calling it “quite obvious,” while Alvarez said McGuinness had simply put protection on his foot to work the storyline.
McGuinness appeared in a walking boot at points during the tournament and went into his match against Hechicero visibly favoring his left heel. After winning by submission, he needed help from the medical staff to get out of the ring.
There’s been no word yet on McGuinness’s recovery timetable.