Ogogo speaks candidly about his AEW run.
Since the early days of All Elite Wrestling, former Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo has been a part of the company. He was first signed to a deal prior to Double or Nothing 2019.
Ogogo shared on AEW Unrestricted that he’ll be with the company going forward as AEW President Tony Khan signed him to a new deal. Ogogo spoke about wanting to get more reps in and he’s ready to show his worth.
There’s working there (on the independents) and there’s working AEW. So I’m in a weird situation now where I think there’s a lot of potential around me and Tony Khan has signed me and he’s re-signed me. So he obviously sees something in me and I have this aura which people haven’t got because they haven’t done what I’ve done in real life. But it’s like, I need to get the experience. It’s what do you do? Do I put myself out and do every indie? Just go on and get the experience? But then again, working in front of 100 people is very different to working in front of 5,000 against somebody else, or do I just kind of sit and be patient? But I don’t wanna be patient… I don’t wanna be patient anymore. I wanna show my worth. I just wanna show what I can do… If I didn’t think I could deliver, I wouldn’t be saying this. But I know what I can do, I know what I have. I just wanna contribute.
Ogogo was present at AEW All In in his home country of England. He was part of a segment with Paul Wight and Grado. Ogogo believes he could’ve had a bigger moment and said the segment was put together last-minute. AEW’s Will Washington confirmed that it was put together last-minute as he was in the creative meeting when it was set up.
Ogogo: I got to have a moment (at AEW All In). I think (I) should’ve, could’ve had a much bigger moment. I’ll be very honest on this podcast. It’s the reason why I wanted to do it because I wanted to be really honest and come on here and tell my story. It’s in London, it’s my hometown. I was AEW’s first developmental talent. I came here with no wrestling experience. I trained unbelievably hard to get real good really quick and I just think I should’ve been on that card. Now I know what I’m saying, not obviously how the previous 12 months has went. I haven’t done anything, right? Because I haven’t — but I’m desperate to work hard, I want the opportunities, I wanna go and I was gutted to be — even in that moment, that was put together last-minute actually.
Washington: I was in the creative meeting where that was all pitched and literally, it all came together and I was excited to see it come together but, very last minute.
Further speaking about All In, Ogogo brought up how he came out to Paul Wight’s music as if he was the ‘little brother’ in the segment.
He added that Grado had his theme song played and he’s not signed to AEW. Ogogo feels he can headline shows for the company and when he joined, that was something pitched to him. He feels that along this run, the ball has been dropped many times with him.
Ogogo: I’m not being ungrateful, I’m not being disrespectful — I hope I’m not. I don’t mean to come close to being disrespectful but, even with that, hadn’t been seen in a year, because I haven’t been seen. I’ve been waiting for the phone call to do this and then, we came out; me, Paul (Wight) and Grado (at AEW All In), British wrestling legend Grado come and do our little thing and it was like, Paul’s music hit. I get that because he’s a big star, he’s been around for 25 years and you know, Captain Insano and all that. He’s a wrestling legend. Again, his music hit, and then I came out with him like his little brother, you know what I mean? I haven’t been seen in a year… then Grado came out and Grado, he’s a lovely guy, I love Grado. He’s a lovely guy. He’s really, really, really good. But he’s not signed to AEW. He’s not signed to AEW, he’s never gonna headline a show in AEW I don’t think, maybe unless — it’s wrestling, right? Never say never in wrestling. He’s really, really good. But it’s like, Paul is at the end of his career. Grado is not even signed to the company and I was a little sh*t bit in a sandwich coming out in the middle. I genuinely feel like I can headline shows in AEW. I genuinely feel like at Wembley, being next year or the year before, I can be at the top of their thing. When I joined AEW, that’s what was pitched to me and I’m thinking, I haven’t been seen in a year. I’m back in London. I could’ve made a massive — this could’ve been like, not all about me, but I could’ve been made much bigger in that moment. Me coming out, my music hitting, f*ck, Ogogo’s back, f*ck, Ogogo’s — I watched him in the Olympics here 10 years ago and I think with me, the ball’s been dropped many times along the way… It wasn’t quite — when I joined AEW, it wasn’t quite what I thought it was gonna be, it hasn’t quite turned out thus far what I hoped it could’ve been or I think it could have been, you know? Listen, that being said, all I can do is work hard and give it my all and when the call comes, hopefully the call will come, to show up and turn up and that’s what I’m doing.
Ogogo last wrestled for AEW in a dark match prior to Collision in early November. The last time he competed on AEW television was on the June 4th, 2021 edition of Dynamite.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit AEW Unrestricted with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
