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Anthony Ogogo Says He Turned Down WWE Offer
Prior to his high-stakes matchup with Cody Rhodes at last night’s AEW Double or Nothing pay per view current company star and Olympian Anthony Ogogo appeared on the Wrestling Inc. Daily to discuss his previous boxing career, and why he decided to choose AEW over WWE.
Ogogo begins by revisiting his success in the United Kingdom as a boxer, revealing that he was the first boxer in the world to be signed to a long-term deal with Nike.
“I was the first boxer in the world to ever be signed to a long-term deal with Nike. That’s how notorious I was in the UK, in the world. I was signed to Subway for five years. I had some proper top, top brands sponsoring me, and because of that, I have to be the corporate guy. I couldn’t go on Twitter and call this person a c**t because I was representing them as well as myself. And then I did that. And what did I get out of my boxing career? I’m blind in my left eye.”
He later shifted his thought process into his current character on AEW, a vulgar, loud-talking Brit who isn’t afraid to call out anyone, as he is no longer interested in playing the corporate stooge.
“I didn’t achieve the things I wanted to achieve, and I left thinking, I should have been me. I was me. I’m nice in many aspects. I’m respectful and polite, and if you respect me, I respect you. If I think you’re an a**hole, then I will treat you like you’re an a**hole. I’m just going to be unapologetically me. I’m getting a bonus career, I didn’t think I was ever going to be a wrestler. I thought I was going to be a boxer. This is bonus for me. I’m going to be me.”
This is also part of the reason that Ogogo chose AEW over WWE. He tells the publication that WWE actually offered him a larger financial contract, but that he chose the former because he believes in President Tony Khan’s vision.
“That’s why I didn’t go to WWE. They offered me more money than AEW. I didn’t join them because I believe in Tony Khan’s vision. I believed in Cody Rhodes’ vision. I believe in AEW’s vision. I love being a part of AEW. I love how the team give a f**k about their wrestlers. If I’m going through a tough time in a minute, I’m getting texts from the management asking me if I’m okay daily. They care about the people rather than the money. The other place, they seem to care about money first and people if at all. We care about other people first because they know that a happy workplace creates good stuff.”
Despite his tough attitude and previous success Ogogo came up short against Rhodes at last night’s show, falling victim to a vertebreaker and a pinfall loss. What will come next for the hard-hitting Brit remains to be seen.
Check out the full interview below.