[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Myke, you may be interested in this. It's a letter regarding Nigel and a response from Nigel himself.
The first item is a letter a fan wrote to Dave Meltzer at the Observer.
Dear Dave,
I attended both of the NYC ROH shows this past weekend, and was a little disgusted with the events surrounding Nigel McGuinness's injury. I don't know if you're interested, but I wrote this note to whomever may take notice. I already posted it at the ROH forum, but it seems to be going over people's heads there. If you print it, please withhold my name. Thanks.
Yesterday, for the second time in as many months, I attended a Ring of Honor show at the Manhattan Center in which ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness could not defend his title in a previously scheduled match. Before I go any further, I wish to make one thing perfectly clear: I wholeheartedly applaud the decision to pull Nigel McGuinness from the 12/30 show after his concussion suffered on 12/29 (at a show which I also attended). However, the circumstances surrounding the injury have left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
McGuinness’s title match against Austin Aries on 12/29 was outstanding. However, it would have been just as outstanding had McGuinness not taken two headfirst bumps onto the steel guardrail. The pops would have been just as loud for the false finishes if McGuinness hadn’t slammed his head against steel off an Aries suicide dive only a few minutes into the match. As Nigel came up bloody and seemingly loopy, I immediately suspected that he had suffered yet another concussion. Needless to say, I winced when he took a brainbuster on the guardrail later in the match.
This should have come as no surprise to me, though. McGuinness willingly concussed himself last year during a match with Bryan Danielson, taking gruesome, unprotected headshots into the ringpost. I supposed I just hoped that, in a post-Chris Benoit world, a less cavalier attitude would be taken about these things.
As alluded to earlier, this concussion comes on the heels of Nigel missing his match at Glory By Honor, Night Two. At the time, he was nursing a torn bicep, most likely injured performing the same lariat that both broke Jimmy Rave’s jaw and concussed Johnny Fairplay earlier this year. As a trained professional wrestler myself (one who was trained by a talent who has worked for Ring of Honor), I find it offensive that the man has done so much damage to his own body and to the bodies of others.
What I also found offensive, though, were the promos an injured McGuinness came out and cut at both Glory By Honor and Final Battle. Both times, he was heckled by fans who, for whatever reason, weren’t happy to see him, and both times, McGuinness made some very odd statements. At Glory By Honor, in reaction to fans who he felt did not appreciate his sacrifices, Nigel told the crowd that, to paraphrase, maybe he should just quit, and get a job where he can still walk when he’s fifty years old. What is my reaction, as a fan, supposed to be to that? Should I cheer? Should I boo? Should I feel guilty? All I could really think was that he’s right; he should retire right now if his style of wrestling leaves him in danger of ending up like "Dynamite Kid" Tom Billington. At Final Battle, he told the crowd he was keeping the title to spite the fans who booed him, and in appreciation of the ones who supported him- the ones, he told us, who love wrestling and respect the wrestlers. Silly me; I thought I respected the wrestlers because I care about their health. Apparently, Ring of Honor, via a statement given by an employee at their show, would rather I cheer rabidly for more and more action at whatever the cost. This sounds incredibly selfish.
Well, if Ring of Honor wants me to be selfish, so be it. I cannot purchase tickets to a show where I know I may very well not see the scheduled main event. Until Nigel McGuinness loses the ROH Championship, I won’t be at any more shows. And hopefully, this diatribe will strike a chord with someone, be it McGuinness himself, other wrestlers risking their bodies beyond the standards of reason, or promoters looking to put on shows featuring such athletes. Six months ago, we experienced the greatest tragedy in wrestling history. Today, we have not learned from it.
Nigel then responded to the letter before departing for Japan. I tried to highlight his responses.
OK Dave,
Gabe gave me the all clear, so I am staying up at 2:30 in the morning, when I have to be up at 8am tomorrow to pack and leave for my next NOAH tour, to write this because I feel so vehemently mistreated and unjustly referenced by this ignorant article. I have copied the article into this email and will refer specifically to the points in question:
I attended both of the NYC ROH shows this past weekend, and was a little disgusted with the events surrounding Nigel McGuinness's injury. I don't know if you're interested, but I wrote this note to whomever may take notice. I already posted it at the ROH forum, but it seems to be going over people's heads there. If you print it, please withhold my name. Thanks.
Yesterday, for the second time in as many months, I attended a Ring of Honor show at the Manhattan Center in which ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness could not defend his title in a previously scheduled match. Before I go any further, I wish to make one thing perfectly clear: I wholeheartedly applaud the decision to pull Nigel McGuinness from the 12/30 show after his concussion suffered on 12/29 (at a show which I also attended)
--You open by applauding the decision that I and ROH made to protect me from further physical harm by pulling me from the show, and then close by stating you won't buy any more tickets for ROH events where you know you may not see the scheduled main event. How is this applauding the decision?
However, the circumstances surrounding the injury have left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
McGuinness’s title match against Austin Aries on 12/29 was outstanding. However, it would have been just as outstanding had McGuinness not taken two headfirst bumps onto the steel guardrail. The pops would have been just as loud for the false finishes if McGuinness hadn’t slammed his head against steel off an Aries suicide dive only a few minutes into the match.
--I could write a book on what you don't understand or assume about wrestling and this match in particular. First, my head slamming into the guard rail after Aries' dive was not a planned spot in any way. I was further from the guard rail than I needed to be and thus couldn't control my body when I fell forward. It was an accident that I couldn't have avoided and never would have imagined would happen before the match, whether you believe it or not. When you wrestle more than a handful of matches yourself you may realise that. Second I did not take another "head first bump onto the guardrail." The brainbuster you are referring to actually made my shoulders contact the guardrail and in a non injurious manner. And even if it had, that would have been Aries' decision as much as mine. But that didn't happen as he is a world class professional (not just trained by one,) and took care of me as a fellow professional wrestler should.
As Nigel came up bloody and seemingly loopy, I immediately suspected that he had suffered yet another concussion. Needless to say, I winced when he took a brainbuster on the guardrail later in the match.
This should have come as no surprise to me, though. McGuinness willingly concussed himself last year during a match with Bryan Danielson, taking gruesome, unprotected headshots into the ringpost. I supposed I just hoped that, in a post-Chris Benoit world, a less cavalier attitude would be taken about these things.
--I object to this statement for two reasons. First, I did not willingly concuss myself last year in a match with Bryan Danielson. The headshots to which you are referring, while gruesome indeed, caused no concussion. However I did get a concussion a few weeks later in a match against Bryan from a simple back bump after giving a Tower of London which you seem not to object to. One of the most frustrating things is when you really get knocked out but because the bump wasn't visual enough fans don't care or believe you. And second, as far as having a less cavalier attitude about these things I can put my hand on my heart and actually say I'm one of the most concerned people in the locker room today. In fact I was the first person to buy Chris Nowinski's book on concussions and read it cover to cover and it was this reading which caused me to accept the ROH office's support in taking the night off on the 30th.
As alluded to earlier, this concussion comes on the heels of Nigel missing his match at Glory By Honor, Night Two. At the time, he was nursing a torn bicep, most likely injured performing the same lariat that both broke Jimmy Rave’s jaw and concussed Johnny Fairplay earlier this year. As a trained professional wrestler myself (one who was trained by a talent who has worked for Ring of Honor), I find it offensive that the man has done so much damage to his own body and to the bodies of others.
--You are clearly not smart to the business if you believe this. The only serious damage I have done to anyone's body is my own, and you can ask anyone I've wrestled to qualify that statement, including the people above. And if you do want to talk about people hurting others in the ring, there are certainly others higher on the list than I.
What I also found offensive, though, were the promos an injured McGuinness came out and cut at both Glory By Honor and Final Battle. Both times, he was heckled by fans who, for whatever reason, weren’t happy to see him, and both times, McGuinness made some very odd statements. At Glory By Honor, in reaction to fans who he felt did not appreciate his sacrifices, Nigel told the crowd that, to paraphrase, maybe he should just quit, and get a job where he can still walk when he’s fifty years old.
--Is this part of the promo so different to the anti hardcore promos Mick Foley cut for which he was so widely and correctly revered?
What is my reaction, as a fan, supposed to be to that? Should I cheer? Should I boo? Should I feel guilty? All I could really think was that he’s right; he should retire right now if his style of wrestling leaves him in danger of ending up like "Dynamite Kid" Tom Billington. At Final Battle, he told the crowd he was keeping the title to spite the fans who booed him, and in appreciation of the ones who supported him- the ones, he told us, who love wrestling and respect the wrestlers. Silly me; I thought I respected the wrestlers because I care about their health. Apparently, Ring of Honor, via a statement given by an employee at their show, would rather I cheer rabidly for more and more action at whatever the cost. This sounds incredibly selfish.
--No, it sounds extremely ignorant, your misunderstanding that is. I will keep the belt in spite of the fans who boo me for taking the night off when I have a concussion. This has been my objection all along. You want to know why some wrestlers find it so hard to take a night off when they are risking permanent physical injury by continuing? Because of the reactions I have received by some of the fans when I have done so. Do you think we want to risk that type of a backlash for putting our physical health first? When will it be applauded? When I'm in a wheelchair? The tragedy is that the majority of the fans support such a move, not just in flipant comments like this person, but by continuing to support the product, when such decisions affect the advertised main event. I have no idea why you think anything I said was meant to encourage fans to cheer rabidly for more action at whatever the cost. You missed the point entirely.
Well, if Ring of Honor wants me to be selfish, so be it. I cannot purchase tickets to a show where I know I may very well not see the scheduled main event. Until Nigel McGuinness loses the ROH Championship, I won’t be at any more shows. And hopefully, this diatribe will strike a chord with someone, be it McGuinness himself, other wrestlers risking their bodies beyond the standards of reason, or promoters looking to put on shows featuring such athletes. Six months ago, we experienced the greatest tragedy in wrestling history. Today, we have not learned from it.
--What you said struck a chord with me, not about the subject on which you think you are writing, but on the fact that in our generation we must endure such ignorant, self righteous people who for whatever reason feel it fit to bring their axe to grind based on misinformation and conjecture, rather than fact. I am not a difficult person to contact. I would have gladly explained my position and the truth of the situation to whomever it was that felt fit to post such inflammatory nonsense instead of contacting me themself. I can only believe that the real objection of this person is to the situation of me as champion rather than anything regarding my conduct as such.[/FONT]
, when it's just as likely the mundane moves that can cause injuries as well.
in' stupid now as it was 15 years ago.
