20 Greatest Wrestling Documentaries Ever

12. The Last Of McGuinness (2013)

Wrestling With Shadows Vince Bret
impactwrestling.com

At one point during The Last Of McGuinness, the subject breaks down in tears. Unable to hide his overwhelming frustration, Nigel McGuinness also can't come to terms with the fact that his pro wrestling career has ended. After contracting Hepatitis B, McGuinness had to make the tough decision to walk away from the job he loved.

On the cusp of joining WWE, a proposed deal fell through due to McGuinness failing medical tests. This led to a run in TNA, one which clearly didn't satisfy the Brit as much as he may have thought. The entire story is wrapped in a lethal cocktail of sadness, but there's a silver lining.

McGuinness quite obviously loves professional wrestling (the Q&A tour he embarked upon to promote this film brilliantly displayed that), and he's happy for his friend, Bryan Danielson, upon finding out that he won the WWE World Heavyweight Title.

Getting over his own anger, he's able to express polite jealously whilst also being delighted for his pal.

That's honesty personified, something which can be said of The Last Of McGuinness overall. Even those who didn't see his wonderful matches in ROH or TNA will enjoy what's on offer here.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.