All Elite Wrestling (AEW) just picked up two former members of WWE. AEW President Tony Khan recently announced that the company has signed Nigel McGuinness to a contract. And according to Mike Johnson of PW Insider, AEW hired former WWE Vice President of Communications Adam Hopkins. This news comes as WWE received criticism for Vince McMahon taking over creative following the merger with UFC.
McGuinness (real name Steve Haworth) is known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH), winning the ROH World Championship and the ROH Pure Championship. He retired from in-ring competition in 2011 and made the transition to a color commentator. McGuinness signed with WWE in 2016 and broadcast teams for NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live, among other shows, throughout his run with the company. He was released from his WWE contract in October 2022.
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When speaking to the Two-Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, McGuinness was asked if there was any chance he would return to the ring again. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Yeah, everybody’s asked me that as soon as I went my separate ways from WWE, he said per Fightful. “I can’t give a definitive answer other than to say that I certainly feel my strengths at this point in my life or in other aspects of the industry, but I wouldn’t rule it out 100% either, you know? There’s always that part of you that wants to have that final moment, but sometimes, cooler and smarter heads have to prevail. So it’s a cliche, of course, just to say ‘never say never.’ We’ve seen a lot of people, Edge, Lita, Trish, a lot of people come back and have really really good matches, have a really positive influence on the industry, and in a way are able to help the next generation.”
Hopkins was one of the longest-tenured employees for WWE as he joined the company in 1997. He started in WWE’s Fan Services department and went on to hold multiple positions with the company, including Manager of Media Relations, Director of Communications and Senior Manager, Public Relations and Corporate Communication, among other titles. It’s not clear what Hopkins’ role with AEW will be, but it will likely be within the PR department.
