Nigel McGuinness’ foot injury is part of a storyline rather than a legitimate injury, according to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.
McGuinness was presented as having hurt his foot in his Continental Challenge Cup win over Katsuyori Shibata on the August 15 Collision and appeared in a boot early in the week. AEW announced there was no break and kept him in the tournament, and he beat Hechicero in Wednesday’s quarterfinal on Dynamite to advance.
Alvarez pointed to how the injury was presented in that match.
“He’s not hurt. He literally taped up his boot… He taped up his boot and then Hechicero started taking the tape off his boot. What the hell is going on in this match?”
Meltzer said it was “quite obvious” McGuinness was not actually injured.
McGuinness had been scheduled to challenge Lee Moriarty for the ROH Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor tonight in Philadelphia, but he has reportedly been pulled from the match, with Wheeler Yuta or Shibata expected to replace him.
The Continental Challenge Cup semifinals take place on the Glasgow Dynamite, with the final at All In: London.