Anthony Ogogo Critiques His AEW Match Against Cody Rhodes

Anthony Ogogo's feud against Cody Rhodes in AEW was supposed to be the Olympic boxer's star-making turn, but it ended up having the opposite effect as fans did not get on board with the story. Their eventual match at AEW's Double Or Nothing in 2021 wasn't well received either, and when talking to "Cultaholic Wrestling," about it, the former boxer admitted that "sometimes silence speaks a thousand words."

"I don't want to get in trouble, so I don't want to talk too much on this," Ogogo said to Cultaholic Wrestling's "Desert Island Graps" show. "I asked for the anthems, they said no ... I asked for people dressed up as Beefeaters, I didn't get it." According to Ogogo, not only were his aesthetic requests denied but six minutes were cut from the match, which Ogogo describes as "40%" of the match. Rhodes and Ogogo found that not only was time cut from their match but also an entire video package.

"We filmed a really cool Rocky montage ... the promo package before the match, you think of Austin vs. The Rock, by the time the bell goes you're frothing at the mouth," Ogogo said. "We filmed something really cool for that but we had to cut that because of time." These issues are a huge deal in professional wrestling, no matter what company it is, and AEW wanted to address those timing issues after this situation happened. 

Ogogo said the issues led to a backstage meeting about wrestlers sticking to their allotted times.

Anthony Ogogo has primarily been used on "AEW Dark" and "AEW Dark: Elevation" ever since his storyline with Rhodes, with the company pulling him back from its mainstream television shows. Despite that, the Olympian admitted to "Desert Island Graps" that he "had a lot of fun" with the story, and it is clear that he hasn't given up on the idea of becoming a big name in the business.

"I'd have liked certain things to have changed, certain outcomes to be a little bit different, but I believe I can be a huge player in pro wrestling moving forwards in the next five, six, seven, eight years. I can believe I will be a real big deal," he said. "That could have went differently trying to get there a bit quicker, but listen, I'm going to get there, I back myself. I work hard enough, I believe in myself, I'm going to get there." 

While Ogogo may not have been featured on "AEW Dynamite" as of late, the Englishman has been making regular appearances for PROGRESS Wrestling. He is building up plenty of reps for the promotion, and he now believes that his route to the top of the industry, "will be different to what I thought it was going to be, but I'm going to get there, no doubt."

Ogogo is set to be part of a major match on November 27 when he teams up with former professional soccer player Adebayo Akinfenwa, who is set to make his debut in the wrestling ring for PROGRESS.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Cultaholic Wrestling" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.