Nigel McGuinness’s victory over Katsuyori Shibata this past Saturday night in the AEW Continental Challenge Cup has been tainted by injury. Despite advancing, McGuiness’ status for the quarterfinals is still unclear.
The two met in a 12 minute, 26 second match on the August 15 episode of AEW Collision, taped August 12 at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. McGuinness worked over Shibata’s ankle throughout the bout, while Shibata repeatedly went for sleeper holds. Shibata locked in another sleeper late, but McGuinness rolled backward out of it and pinned Shibata’s shoulders down for the three count.
Commentator Tony Schiavone announced the injury during the show’s main event between Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong, saying McGuinness had been hurt in the match he had just won. AEW has not disclosed what the injury is or how severe it might be.
An update is expected during AEW’s Continental Challenge Cup quarterfinal selection special, streaming Monday on the promotion’s YouTube channel. That show will also set the tournament’s next round through a blind draw.
McGuinness’s win puts him in the quarterfinal field alongside Jon Moxley, Jay White, Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston, Orange Cassidy, Hechicero and O’Reilly. It was also his first match in 92 days, following a win over Josh Woods at ROH Supercard of Honor in May.
The Continental Challenge Cup kicked off earlier this month. Ace Austin’s run in the tournament reportedly turned heads backstage, and Eddie Kingston dedicated his own tournament run to the fans who stuck with him through his hiatus.
