8 Wrestlers That Visibly Hated Working For TNA

5. Nigel McGuinness

CM Punk TNA
Last Of McGuinness

In this list on a technicality and not under his on-screen name of Desmond Wolfe, Nigel McGuinness was a model professional in unprofessional times when it came to his work for TNA, but just how much he didn't really want to seemingly settle for it was laid bare in the absorbing 2012 "Last Of McGuinness" documentary.

Fan-funded, self-made and with a level of vulnerability extremely rare for any wrestling output at the time, the film saw Nigel work a series of retirement tour shows while reconvening with colleagues and friends as well as reflecting on the ups and downs of a career he considered good but painfully incomplete. Over the 12 independent matches, the former ROH World Champion attempted to put a brave face on numerous goodbyes, but gradually unravelled in raw and unflinching fashion. 

As best he tried, he simply couldn't bottle up the feeling of failure having never worked for WWE, particularly while contemporary Bryan Danielson was making it as World Champion there. He brushes past his TNA run entirely, neglecting the against-the-odds successes he found as Desmond Wolfe. There were reasons he left the company directly related to his health that he couldn't or wouldn't address until the time was right, but as somebody with total control of the edit, he had an opportunity to put over the brand and, deservedly, himself, as somebody who really had left a mark in the North American mainstream. Devastatingly for performer and promotion, either he simply didn't want to, or didn't believe it was really worth the mention. 

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett