AEW star Anthony Ogogo discussed various topics with ITR Wrestling, including his collaboration with former AEW star and current Undisputed WWE Champion, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, in All Elite Wrestling.
Ogogo said, “It was amazing. I thought it would be the first of many. Unfortunately, it has been my only true feud, only true storyline in wrestling and it was five years ago so it blows my mind. It’s obviously been great. He was going through a transitional period in his career, he’s obviously gone on and done amazing things and he’s killing it now. I am happy and proud of him because he’s really been through it. It was a frustrating thing for me, because I wrestled Cody in my first feud. Like we trained together, we wrestled, and I thought everyone was that good, and it was not. I wrestled one of the best wrestlers in the world from day 1, and I came in with the storyline with Cody and even with how the storylines were set up backstage. When you wrestle one of the big guys, everything is laid out for you, it’s all organized and you know what you are doing. So my first six months in pro wrestling, I came to TV knowing exactly what I was doing, working with one of the top guys, it was amazing. Even in the ring, he was so smooth, he knew what he was doing, psychology was so good. i just thought that is what wrestling was like, and then I had some visa issue, so I had to go back and come back after three months and then I wrestled people who were nowhere near as good as Cody and I’m like ‘Oh goodness.’ I knew I was lucky to wrestle someone as good as him, but when I started wrestling with people who were nowhere as good as him, made me realize how lucky I was. I had nothing to compare him to. Now I have for the last four five years made me realize how good he was.”
On meeting AEW President and CEO Tony Khan for the very first time:
“I am very close to DDP, he is my daughter’s godfather and he introduced me to Cody, AEW had just been formed. I met him in March and they announced it in January. I told Cody the story, the Olympics, my eye injury, my mother not being well at the start of the Games [Olympics]. Cody was like ‘Damn, that’s a good story, you’re an athlete, you look good, you have pedigree, and one of the best boxers on the planet. Cody spoke to Tony Khan, I flew to meet Tony Khan, again before the first Double or Nothing show, it was only a few days before. It was final game of the season, Fulham vs Newcastle, Tony invited me to the box, I sat the whole game with Tony Khan, watching the game and talking pro wrestling. Had the most amazing afternoon, and he said listen I have got this for you and then offered me a contract. It was a wonderful day. He loves pro wrestling, and he’s a really nice man. He’s been so pivotal to the wrestling industry, because I am now living a dream because of his vision of AEW. Hundreds of wrestlers have wrestled for AEW and got to live out their childhood dreams because there’s another place to go to now.”
On visiting Khan in 2022 shortly before attending a family funeral:
“A few years ago, in 2022, my grandmother passed away, and I was going to the funeral. and I dropped by his office, and I said, I wasn’t missing anything, there were a few days in between, so I said, ‘Hey Tony, I’m going to shoot back to my Nan’s funeral and I’ll be back for Saturday or Wednesday and he had tears for me. He got emotional for me. And she passed away maybe three or four days before and of course it was very very sad, but by that point the emotion had gone a little bit and he teared up for me that I lost my grandmother. He said, ‘Go take the time you want and just be there for your family.’”
On his experience at AEW All In: London:
“For me they are the best live events I have been to as a pro wrestler and I think they are best live events. Maybe I am little bit biased because Wembley is the most iconic stadium in the world. Somethings in life you cannot explain, you just have to be there to witness and feel the emotion. Few years ago when Will Ospreay beat Chris Jericho, I was like ‘wow’ and genuinely, hand on my heart, I cannot explain how powerful, how emotional, how big of a moment it was. Being in that arena, in the red plastic seats of Wembley, you see the pyro and the fire and 80000 people singing the songs of the wrestlers, I literally can’t describe what it was like. It’s just amazing. Everyone is like smiles on their faces days after.”
