Nigel McGuiness isn’t the first professional wrestler to tell his story; far from it. Over the past decade, we’ve seen a bevy of ‘superstars’ put pen to paper – or voice to ghostwriter – to chart their rise to wrestling’s zenith through bestselling autobiographies.
Brit grappler McGuiness is now going to tell his story, but in a very different way.
The former Ring of Honor Champion has turned to wrestling fans around the world to fund a new documentary, which charts his farewell tour following his shock retirement last year.
McGuiness has appealed to fans via Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. His proposed documentary, ‘The Last of McGuiness’, will feature the best bits from over 60 hours of intimate footage with friends, family, fellow wrestlers and McGuiness himself. It will follow the former-Desmond Wolfe throughout his farewell tour, and will examine the emotional journey that he’s been through, reaching the very top of sports entertainment as a headliner for Impact Wrestling, only to have it all taken away from him.
The project – launched in mid-March – required a minimum of $32,000 to enable McGuiness to undertake the laborious, and expensive, job of editing the footage and securing the rights to past footage from his career.
This goal has now been reached and the documentary will be made – but with just three days until the funding deadline runs out, fans are still encouraged to donate to make the documentary the very best that it can be: securing the widest distribution, the best music, and taking it to film festivals to allow it to reach out beyond the wrestling community.
This film, says McGuiness, is “a chance to say to those in charge that we – the quiet, huddled, bastard children of sports entertainment – we have a voice. [CM] Punk, Dragon [Daniel Bryan], they’re leading the way and they have their stories to tell too – but this story is ours.
When I started my retirement tour, I kind of felt perhaps that my dream was a failure, and that all was lost with wrestling. Now, I know, it’s never lost.
Somehow I feel as though everything in my career has led to this moment – and now, the fun begins!”
You can help to fund this important project – and be a true part of wrestling history – by clicking here and pledging anywhere from just $10 all the way up to $5,000.
But don’t let me try to convince you – this trailer tells you everything you need to know. And best of all, Nigel McGuiness has approved this message:
This article was written by Ben Veal.
Find out more about Ben here – and don’t forget to follow him on Twitter.
