Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Anthony Ogogo On AEW, Cody Rhodes, His WWE Tryout, Winning Olympic Bronze

Episode Date: August 9, 2022

Anthony Ogogo (@anthonyogogo) is a professional wrestling and former boxer signed to All Elite Wrestling. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about how he got discovered by AEW and signed as their first developmental talent, working with Cody Rhodes, his path to the 2012 Olympic Games in London and winning bronze as a middleweight boxer, the eye injury that ended his boxing career and forced him to retire at age 30, his thoughts about living in the United States and much more. For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All systems are good. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Blaine! Uh-huh. Welcome back to another audio adventure here on Insight. I'm CBB, Chris Van Fleet. Thank you so much for being with us. And seriously, thank you so much for all the recent ratings and reviews you've left on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I can't express how much they help this show to grow.

So if you have 30 seconds today to leave a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple, podcast, I would be eternally grateful for that. You know, pro wrestling has a long history of athletes who competed in the Olympics before signing with WW or AEW. Kurt Angles, obviously the first name that comes to your mind, but Bad News Brown, Chad Gable, Carl Gautch, Rhonda Rousey, Jeff Cobb, Mark Henry, and today's guest, Anthony Agogo, were all Olympians, and a lot of them were medal-winning Olympians. Anthony Agogo won bronze as a boxer in the 2012 summer games in London,

and he tells the story in great detail because a few years later, he had a devastating eye injury that ended his boxing career, but it landed him where he is now. He was the first person to ever sign a developmental talent deal with AEW, and now you know him as the governor. He's on social media at Anthony Agogo. I'm on social media at Chris Van Fleet, and please take a screenshot.

Let us know that you're listening to this and tag us so we can share it as well. It was such a great conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's me and Anthony a go-go. Man, what a shirt, by the way. You just, you look like a million bucks. Thank you, man.

But you're a snappy dresser. So I'll got to come. I'll bring you to the table. Do you not mean? I mean, today I'm just wearing basically a t-shirt, and you can't see it, but I'm actually wearing gym shorts because I'm going to go to gym after that.

because I know after talking to you I'm going to be all jacked up and I'm like all right I got to get in Anthony works so hard in the gym I got to be on your level thank you man

I think I'll do I'll do work very hard listen you know I'm sure talk about my journey as we go on but like life's all about working hard

I think that is the secret to success there's no there's no secret like bugs is magic stuff on bugs bunny right or Michael's magic stuff like there's no magic water

there's no magic drink no magic, no magic like sprinkled dust. It's work ethic, working hard. That's all you've got. And I think if you do that, you'll be held in good stead and anything you do in life. It's so interesting looking back at like photos of you because, you know, I think everybody knows that your path began in boxing. And when you look back at the photos of you in boxing, and then you look like a side by side of you now, you're like two completely different people. Mate, different people. Like, I look back on myself now. And I think, I look back to myself, now when I was then.

In my head, like, I thought I was huge. In my head, I thought I was massive. He has a middleway boxed there, boxing 160. Like, I was a big middleway. I was a boy down from 185, 190. So I was a big middleweight. So I was like four people, I was always bigger at them, right? So in my head, I had the opposite to like body dysmorphia.

I had like bodily. I had like bodil. And nobody told me I wasn't. It wasn't until I actually got bigger for Western. I was like, oh no, my legs were like two picks back then. I was a skinny little teenager. But yeah, listen, you know, and it was hard making weight. I've been making weight.

I've been losing weight, making weight since I was my first fight. I was 12 years old. So from 12 years old or 30 years old, I was battling against the scales to make weight. Once I'm married weight. I was then actually fighting. So I'm very proud of myself. And I rarely do I put myself on my back. I'm very competitive and very driven.

But I'm very proud of myself to making 11 stone six, which is 72.5 kilos, 160 pounds. As an adult, it's very difficult when you're a large amount of myself. Yeah, you've got a big frame. Thank you. And yeah, turn to rest of that. I work very hard. Never taken a drug. Never cheated.

Never lied. Never sold anything in my life. So, yeah, I've worked very, very hard to get what I am. And I'm very proud of myself for doing it the way and the clean way. At what age would you say you started to fall in love with boxing? When I work first, I walked, mate, so I walked in a gym. So how I got into boxing, I was 12 years old. I was in year seven at school, paid football soccer on the playground.

We did it every lunchtime. I was through to the final single couple. So all the kids play against each other, if you score a goal, you go through to the next round. I was in the final, my two best mates win a semi-falon against each other. Aaron was a little dweeb, Aaron Cooper. Adam Deakin was big, it was cool, all the girls fancied him. They're playing football. Adam is good from skills.

done the Croix turn, took a shot, he wrapped off Aaron's leg, flew into the top corner, Aaron went through. So Deakin was pissed off. So he got the arm, he was pissed off. So he goes over to Aaron,

and he shoves him down. Poor Aaron. So Aaron's a little good guy, Aaron needs to wear the back to his cap, and he's played football with his backpack on their shoulders. So most people take their bag off and their coach off and puts him in the goal.

He had one out of those back back and whack in there when he went around their sides. And then, so Deacon pushed him. He fell down and his bag opened and his lunchbox fell out of his bag and his sandwiches his mum made him. He came out all soggy on the floor and he went, don't do that. Adam did it again.

Aaron got gets up, like in the cartoon, he rolls the sleeves up, puts his fists up, recircle, fight, fight, fight, fight. Everyone thinks Adam's going to wing. He's big. He's cool. He's got nice hair. All the girls fancy him. Right.

20 seconds later, Aaron went, Bosch, Big Adam was on the floor, crying his eyes out. I was like, bloody hell, what happened? So I go to around and I said, mate, how did you learn to do that? Because I go to boxing club. I was like, I need to come. I need to learn how to do that. He said that as a Wednesday.

So there's a beginner session on tonight, 6pm. So I'll go to the advanced class. I've been going for like a year. I had no idea. One of my best friends. He's like, so I don't want to go by myself. So the school bell goes. everyone walks in.

Adam is like drying his tears off on the playground. I go, Diggs, they go, he only beats you because he goes, boxing club. But what we should do,

go tonight, get really good. You can fight him getting tomorrow, then you'll win. And he goes, I don't know, I don't know,

because he's got a little bit with a bit of a fat lid. I said, mate, I said, he'll smash him. I said, and he wasn't,

he wasn't, he's unsure. I went, mate, all the girls will fancy you again. You went, yeah? Well, yeah,

he went, all right then. So I go home, I go home, I get my bicycle, bike to Adams, pick him up, gave me a seater, gave me a backy, bike down the road. I went to a sports shop, right, as an independent sports shop, and Aaron said, bring a gum shield, a mouthguard. I had no idea. I had no idea. I had no idea. I had no idea.

So going to this little independent sport shop, got a gumshel for 50p, which is like 30 cents, right? Got it. So I went to the boxing gym. really a month just bouncing around wasn't molded, just plastic piece of plastic in my mouth. I walked in the door, Hamdali posted on the wall, the smell, like I said,

something about a smell of a boxing gym, you just you ever hate it or you fall in love with it, walked in a gym and I had no idea if I was going to be any good or not. I thought, I mean, I was good at stuff, so I thought, I hoped I would, but whether I was good or not, like, I knew this was me, like I found my home. And I walked in the gym the first day, 12 years old,

and I finally, in my first time in my life, I felt at home and I was there the next 18 years in my life. Man, but there's a big difference, though, between someone who goes and takes boxing classes and lessons and someone who wants to eventually fight pro, or in your case, go to the Olympics. So where did that shift happen for you? So my only goal in my entire life is win the gold medal Olympic Games in boxing. And the only thing I wanted to do, if I'd have done that, I'd have probably retired from boxing and then went into acting or something. Really?

You never would have a turn pro? Never wanted to turn pro. I didn't want to turn pro. Was never bothered about turning pro. Most kids, they want to become, you want to become, you know, well, champion, the mayor of us. They're inspired by Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson or Mayweather, or hospital or whomever. Exactly, right? Funny enough, some of those people, Ali, Ali, Mollinger.

I ever got a bronze medal, Delahoya and Ali, both on gold medals, 60 and 92 Olympics. So I wanted to become like Ali, like Delaware, like Sugar Ray Leonard, and win the gold medal in the game. I wasn't a basketball turning pro. I did a won a term pro. Yeah, there's loads around that. But yeah, I just wanted to win a gold medal at Limbaugh games. And almost did it, almost did it. I had a lot of adversity in that year, which has been a common theme in my life. And I was telling somebody, I said, and Ashley Dumas, a really good independent wrestler yesterday. We were talking about just after. I told about my life and I said, my life sounds so unbelievable that if I couldn't back it up with medical records and proof, it sounds

unbelievable, right? And she knows more enough that I wasn't lying. I showed her a lot of stuff and she couldn't believe it. My life was such a up, down, top, she's attorney, roller coaster of a of a ride. Yeah, I'm very proud. I'm very proud of being here. I'm very difficult dark times. I'm still here, still smiling, still trying to be successful,

how what I'm doing right now. And I'm having fun. It's been good. What do you think is the most unbelievable thing about Anthony Agogo's life? Well, mate, I said to her yesterday, I said, you could pick a year.

Pick a year between 2008 and now, pick a year, and I'll show you an unbelievable thing. right um well the eye injury was was which ends my boxing career and was the reason why i got into wrestling that was that was three years of hell yeah were you like legally blind there for a while 17% blind in my left eye yeah what's the percentage 78% but left eyes fuck my left eye is pretty buggy still to this day yeah it doesn't come back yeah and it's like so every single day. I was often, I often like, like, bump with my mother. So growing up as a kid, I was pretty

cool. I was a cool kid. I was at that kid at school that, like, I was, I was clever at school. I found school really easy. I was just my brand relatively, like, naturally quite intelligent. I was good at any sport I did. Pay for Norwich City, up into under four teams, captain of my county. I was captain in the basketball team. I was, I was that kid that never, ever, ever picked up a tennis record before. And in our first PE class, I was being Mr. Marshall at tennis. Because, like, I was just good at stuff. And there's a million things I cannot do, right? And I always outweigh by saying, I did dance with the stars in the UK back in 2015. We called it Strictly thumb dancing. And I went out on big three.

I can't dance. There's loads things they can't do. But luckily, growing up as a kid, I was always very good at sport and very good at school. And I'm very competitive. So I wanted to be the best everything. How much of that do you think is like this natural innate talent that you have? And how much is it what you were talking about earlier where you just put a bunch of hard work into it and you see the goal and you want to chase after it? A bit of both. I think a bit of both. I mean, what I've learned later in my life.

I was going to go through a dark time. I'm just going to learn more about myself, which I think is really important for people to do. Especially people that strive. I want to become great because when you have massive dreams and ambitions, ultimately you're going to fail a lot of the time and then when you're not used to failing when you fail, I can really do something to somebody's psyche. A lot of it, I think I was naturally good at stuff,

naturally athletic, but the determination, the desire to win is almost. I used to, I'll be in so many people in boxing that I wasn't supposed to be bigger than me, punched harder, faster, but like just through what I always, my best attribute with the boxing, I was good everything.

I could punch hard. It was never the hardest punch, but I could punch hard. I was very fast. It wasn't the fastest, but I was very fast. The thing, I had a very good boxing IQ. The things that I could control, I was the best there. I never went into the ring and box somebody who is fitter than me. Because the way I looked at was, you can be taller,

you can be more awkward, have an awkward style, you can punch harder, but you cannot outwilled me. Like my fitness, I control. my friends. I control how hard I won, how far I on, how fast I run, my time's on the growing machine. That's all down to me by boxing IQ, watching fights, watching styles, watching why who wins and why they win and what punches the scoring points. Like, I control that. So I was very proud that the things are, because some, like, Mike Tyson was, was, was born with unbelievable power. Obviously, you can work hard and you can improve certain things,

but you ain't gonna, you know, like, you know, Marvin Hagler could hit really, really, really hard. He didn't have that unbelievable lockout concussed power if some people would do. So what he did, he was just big and tough and was hard to fight.

So he worked on his own strengths. And I think it's very important to work on certain things, you know, and I'm very proud I've done it in my entire life. So when you talk about the unbelievable things that have happened in your life, it seems like a lot of them stem back from like some pretty bad injuries. We mentioned the eye, but like you've had some other pretty bad injuries that I feel like if they didn't happen, you might be in a completely different place in your life.

100%. So people can be more than listening to me thinking that I wanted to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games and I chose not to stay. My much, I had the most heart rendering dramatic qualification to the Olympics. 2011, 2012, riddled of injuries. with certain things going on. And I finally qualified. And there's a whole hour talking just that, right?

Overcoming deficits, which has never been done before in Olympic qualification history. I finally qualified after two and a half years of strike. I missed in 2008, Olympic because of an injury. So in 2008, I was 19, I've done my left shoulder. And I missed the Olympics because I missed the qualifies because of that 2012. I got kicked off the Great Britain team because I was injured, even though I was the reigning junior Olympic champion. reigning Junior World Champion.

It kicked me off. I had to work my ass off to come get back on the squad. Got back on my squad. I beat the number one in the world. I held my wide shoulder out for X amount of time. I had to rush back for the second qualifier, the final qualifier. I got back.

I finally qualified. Then five weeks before we were in the Games. My sister rang with three trained in Sheffield, which is the city up north of England, the Great Britain team trained in Sheffield. And 20 past 8th on a Tuesday morning, my sister joanne called me she went anthony cry and riser said you got to come home now mom is about to die i went my mom uh my hero uh you know grew up mom i got four sisters our dad wasn't

around ever um so we're really close family we're like like you know go to war for each other stands on someone's shoe on the train you know like we're so so close and then my mom and i was was 23 at a time but I was still very much a mummy's boy still am very much a mommy's boy my hero and yeah I sat by a bedside for four weeks uh in the Olympics we're in five week when they called me the Tuesday so five Fridays later the open ceremonies the next day I boxed and for four weeks I'd mentally pulled out the linda games because I thought how can I go and fight at the November game even though it meant everything to me and my mom is lining a bed fighting for her life and she was in a coma and it looked like

God, she should, the bleed that she had on her brain, she should have died like that. And how she didn't is, I've heard doctors say it was a miracle. Like doctors that are scientists that don't really believe in, like miracles. I've said it was a miracle because it was such a bad one. So for four weeks, I didn't do a thing. Didn't throw a punch, didn't do a set up. And then my family and my then girlfriend and my wife said to me, look, you got to do it even at the game.

When mom gets better, none of us four she was going to, when mom gets better, she's going to, she's going to feel awful knowing that you didn't do the games because of her. Oh, my, the ultimate guilt trip, right? But they were right, because had I not done it, had I not done that, Mom survived, she'd have literally, they would have killed her because she knew at this time, I lived in Sheffield with the GB squad to come back on one weekend every two or three, four weeks, and loads of washing her, and boss, Mom had washed it, to wash my hand wrap, she'd iron them for me.

She's like, she'd make me the little peck lunchboxes to drive, and so I was a very much of Mommy's boy, I'm my only boy, five kids. And they're right. And I went to Shepwood. We had one week of training left before the Olympics. We went to Stratford for the Olympic Games. And then I had once, and there was a family and friends day, right? And everyone else, everyone else who went through the Olympics could invite their family

and friends to watch and train that one last day. And then the coaches knew what I was going through. I've been away for a month. But dads didn't know. I wanted to keep it like my secret. I had my phone in my pocket on my shorts when I was sparring, my last spa because I was next to the kin. So when they call, I've got to answer.

So I'm a spying that called Fred Evans. Fred Evans is really, really good. They always found me around the ring, wracking the wing, cheering them on for this last spot. I don't want to be there. The bell's gone. We did four, three minutes around. I come out, I threw a sloppy jab. The first punch I'll phone in the month.

He comes out, bang, slips it, body shot, and he breaks my rib. and it cracked my rib and disliked it. And you can feel it now, like here, it still popped out. And I somehow got through this bar. I sat on the ring apron. I sweat a lot when I trained. I had all my grease on my face and, like, the sweat and the grease and masquerading the tears.

And I was sitting on the ring apron. I was trying my eyes out thinking I had a discreet shoulder, which wasn't healed probably because I had to rush it. It came out in one of my pro fights a few, three years later. I had tears in both my Achilles tendons, which would leave late came me out for two years. I had four surgeries on them. They were, they were buggered. My rib was broken.

And then worst of all, I thought, my mom is going to die any second. I'm never going to see her again. And that was my Olympic Games. That's my buildup to the Olympic Games. That was my buildup, right? And then I went to London. I got a really, really, really, really hard draw. I'll be a Dominican in my first fight.

I'll be Ukrainian in my second fight. The Ukrainian was the shooting for the gold medal, and lost in two years, he was Ivan Kreuzov. He was unbelievable. The world championships, the first Olympic qualified, when I hurt my shoulder,

he won them, going to gold medal, he got seven, five, knocked out six, smashed Japanese guy in the final. He was, he was mustard. And nobody gave me a chance

to beating him. Nobody gave me a chance to be in him. I talk about work ethic. I talk about belief a lot. Work ethic and belief for the two things you need that anybody needs in the world

to be successful. at anything and when the when they um put to be like major championships you sit in there in the team in the team meeting room and the draw was done and a manager says right you're boxing him if you beat him the next day you're boxing him they got to me and said to me i was the first person boxed on the great britain squad the day after the ceremony open the ceremony they went anthony you're boxing today in afternoon against dominican right and i swear my life i'll never forget this the team manager did this, right? He went, and if you beat him,

you've got the Ukrainian, and that, that, I thought, you bastard, right? That face, man, that face, because he knew what I was going through at the time. That face, man, at least you've got your team GP tracks suit.

At least you can say you're an Olympian. There's no way you're being this guy, right? Like, because even, even if I was fit, healthy, no shoulder, he's a whip, that's a tough one. for me. But the fact my mom's in hospital and I'm not sleeping, I'm losing way because I'm sick with worry and I'm stressed

out every second of the day, generally thinking she's going to die, having surgeries on her brain every other day to keep her alive, respiratory problems. Like, there's no way I'm going to beat this guy. I beat this guy, our box is lad. In the most unbelievable fight in

Olympic boxing history, I believe, generally was. It was like an inmate who was a barn burner. And I beat him. And then I fought the German, the next fight, next day, and I got my bronze medal. Then I box a Brazilian, and like, the fight, and he beat me. But the frustrating thing was, which I'm still, I'm kind of getting over it now, 10 years on, but I struggled with this for a long time because he was the worst person I boxed with Olympic Games.

The Dominican, the Ukrainian and German had all beaten him that Olympic year. By the time I got to the semifinal, I was just fucked, mate. I had like physically, emotionally, I could barely get my head out of, like, oh, I had nothing left. And, you know, I just, I had nothing left. And he beat me. And I was gutted because, like, I deserve the gold medal more than anybody, I think, in the Olympic games and any of the sports, any of the disciplines. But, you know, I didn't get it.

And that's something I've got, you know, something of, again, another life lesson. You don't always get what you deserve. You know, you don't. And then you've got to get up and you and crack on. And I had a choice. to we go out to the reason why I was told her stories because I had a choice to make I want the Olympic gold medal more than anything

but what I had done in the Olympics which I'd watch every Olympics in my first memory in my life I was three and a half years old I watched Linford Christie who's a British sprinter win the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 he stood there with the Union Jack I do it when I walk to the ring now Union Jack flagged behind his head

he won the gold medal and in like you know 9-9-8 or something 9-9-9 like, and he's, Chris, Olympa, is a British hero, right? And that was the first memory

in my life. And I had to do the Olympic Games, win the gold medal and following his footsteps. And what, I'd watch every Olympics, winter and summer,

from being three and a half to being in November, when I was 23. And then my mom got really ill. And at this, after the Olympics in August, I had no idea if she was going to live or die or not

because she was still on the edge. Every day was, no, doctor, she ain't out the woods. She's not held the woods yet. And then I realized that like I couldn't wait four more years and go back to Rio, go to Rio Olympics. Because what I'd done, the Olympics and my arms illness had become one. And I couldn't separate them, like the best time of my life, also the worst time of my life.

So I made a real tough decision to turn pro. And that's the only reason why I turned pro because I just couldn't go through three and a half more years of boxing, and go and blocking all these little countries because Olympic Boston is not glamorous. The only glamorous bit is the Olympics. The other like 300 and whatever many days when you're not in the Olympics is shit, right? Like going to Kazakhstan, Ian horsemean.

And then getting your head punched in by Kazakhstanis that pretend they're middlewaste, but they're really heavywage. It's difficult. So I'll try to turn throw and then the gold medal was then the world title. a pro you know and I was mom she thankfully touched which she's able to like survive and and then I was like if I turn pro and become real chab and earn a lot of money I can help pay for her care and I was 23 of the time life becomes more of the business because you know unfortunately you need

money to live in there so I turned pro and that was just really you know as mad as you think the olympic story was my pro my pro career is 10 times madder and more heartbreaking believe it or not How difficult was it for you to make the transition from boxing to wrestling? Because natural athlete, gifted in the ring, it's a very different kind of ring here, though. So I'm just going to be me, right? This interview is 100% me. I ain't the government. And people, I love people the wrong way sometimes, but that's when they don't get me.

I'll be very honest. I found it quite easy from being entirely honest. I've been a wrestling fan my entire life, a genuine fan. I didn't miss a war for 15 years. I'd go to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Baku and Azerbaijan, boxing in 2011, and had my big laptop, that big Toshiba laptop, and had a whole suitcase just for that area so big.

And I'd go, and I'd be like in Azerbaijan, looking for like illegal streaming sites where I could watch war because I couldn't, that was my guilty, But that was my escape. And Ross on at like two in the morning there, right? Mate, as well, Jean, I think they're five hours ahead of the UK or three hours ahead of the UK. It's just eight hours ahead of Eastern. So, well, not necessarily on live, but I'll just watch it the next day.

And like, there's my thing. I think my laptop solely to watch wrestling because I loved it. I couldn't go out two weeks about watching it. Who were your guys? My three, my three guys, Rock, take care. angle as I found growing up now now being in the business totally doesn't totally change but now I can appreciate things so I actually gone I want to thank you Chris if I'm honest because I signed the AW at the very beginning at the very very very beginning I didn't get here

for almost a year later because of of COVID and and visa staff or whatever so the rest of the fan I was, I was the Western fan. I was to watch Raw Smackdown as it was back then. And for those two hours, I'd remorse myself in. I wouldn't want to know the Western's real names. I didn't want to know who they're dating. They're ages. I wouldn't, the curtain was there. And I was so happy to look at this side of the curtain. I didn't want to peek behind. I wasn't into that stuff. I wanted to do it. I'll go to the cinema to watch James Bond. And I know it's Daniel Craig. But for those two hours, that's James Bond to me. That is James the same thing as wrestling. I don't I don't go on YouTube things and look like how

Daniel Craig does this maneuver. I don't want to know like I don't want to see how the magician does magic I don't want to see how he does it. I want to watch the tricks. Sure. So I am so what point of making is I love wrestling and then when I had to retire from boxing it was the neck it was it was the what I wanted to do the the neck yeah I love wrestling right. I wanted to do do wrestling. I didn't get it. I didn't get it from the business side, I think. I just watched wrestling and loved wrestling. So when I first turned pro as a wrestler, I watched your interviews, mate, like religiously from 2019 to 2020, you know, around the time where Sean Spears

smacked the shit out you had done on your chest that time. Around that period, mate, I watched everything. Wow. I learned so much about behind the curtain, because I didn't know it. I didn't get an old. When Cody bought me and I was like this and Cody, like I was so reluctant to make a faux part because I just don't get how the business works because I never wanted to know.

I wanted to believe it was real what I was watching. That sounds really silly and childish, but that's what I was. So, made massive thank you for doing your great interviews because I learned a lot about how Western work for watching you talk to your guests. That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.

And like I'm honored now that we're able to have this conversation where people are going to be watching this interview of you and then learning about the business and learning about you through this. So I think it's amazing. Thank you. Thank you, how did Tony find out about you, by the way? So I have typing box in. I was spending for DDP. Diamond Dallas Page, legend.

He's like my mentor in this game. I love the man. What an unbelievable dude. I cannot put him over. knife, honestly. And he really is. How did you get connected with Dallas? So I was injured.

I just hurt my eye and I always thought I had nine surgeries in three years on my eye to get back in the boxing ring. Hurled in 2016. Retired in 2019. May it was a very difficult time with some quite dark faces as I mentioned

earlier. And I was trained. I was training. I was training. I was fighting for the world title, but the whole time. I drove from my house to west London, out and a half to west London, train for three hours, hour and half back, train at night. I always thought I was going to fight again. And I was training so hard and I was always making weight, losing weights, my body wasn't recovering.

I got a back injury. And I thought, I've got to start doing something and being a wrestling fan. I just listened to a podcast, the Jericho podcast, and he was always putting over DDPY. So I reached out to him on the ground and then he got back to me, we became best mate. We became best face like that. And I had nine surgeries on my eye in three years. I had four in America. So every surgery I had in the US, I fly over early, come to Atlanta,

stay with Dallas. We'd just hang out. We'd train together with yoga. And we'd just be of each other and like just learn from each other. And, you know, and he said to me, like, I said, have you thought of, okay, so another little long-ish story said to me, mate, have you ever thought about being a wrestler? So Dallas, thank you so much.

I wanted, said you've got the look, you can talk well. He went obviously naturally athletic. I think you could do this. I was really humble. Thank you so much about this. Boxing on my thing. My dream is to win the world title. I have to do that.

I get it. Totally get it. And he's someone who knows about work ethic and working hard and achieving your dreams. So I had a surgery and basically, one of the maddest things happened to me, I had a surgery at three in this, hospital in in in in in America and then I woke up from the third one and I knew the

protocol as my 15th surgery in my life my third in hospital fifth on my eye all together and my heart stopped on no point in table and then the resource for me back to life right wow and I was like I can I was really I was a scary you can imagine and and and the maddest thing I had I had four more after that you know I'll go through that knowing what it was a man I'm not going to anyway so Dallas called me I stayed in hospital that night

to do regular checks and Dallas called me he said to me how did the go I made not well because of what that happened very early in surgery and everyone was panicked

all the all the doctors in the top of panic and they didn't be doing on a surgery but they had to so big thing and I said he said what's um

I said it didn't go very well he said to me listen to when you're going to give this dream up he said like it's not happening for you I can pick up one phone call I can make you rest of today Wow

And that was the only argument we ever had Me and Dallas I fucking snapped it He said fucking hell man Like I need That's the tough love Oh my oh he's the king of that He's the king of that

He's the king of that He's the king of that It's this is March 2018 I said mate I said I need everyone I respect And look up to To be on my fucking side now

I cannot have you Dangling the carrot over here I'm got the blinkers are on or the blinders on. I've got to be so focused on goal. We had an argument. So don't mention to me this to me ever again. So I get it? I get it. I was March 18. I retired March 19. And everyone has helped me personally in my career. I either went to go and see in England or I wrote a handwritten letter or in

Dallas or in Dallas's case. There's a couple of Americans who helped me in my career. I fast-timed. First from Dallas, Dallas said, you're going to see tomorrow. I'm retiring from boxing and I wanted to thank you for everything you've done to help me carry on these last three years and stuff. He said, my really sorry, I know how much this meant to you. I'm really, really sorry. I said, thank you. On my life, he took a beat.

The next thing he said was, so now do you be a wrestler? I went, fuck, Dallas. I said, let me mourn for my career. Let me mourn. 18 years. Unfulfilled during. pain, high, bitterness. Let me mourn for my career.

He said, I want to solve one now. I want a soul. I was still waiting my retirement speech. He goes, I said, I want a soul. He said, okay, so when you finish, he said, okay, so I retired the next day and went to live it. And then Dallas, cool me. I went to WrestleMania, me and my friends in school,

for a 30th birthday. He all went to Westmania to New York. And I met Dallas there, and he said to me, You got me, Cody, man. I've been telling Cody about you. You've got to meet him. And I said, so I'm talking about to an answer. I met Cody.

He spoke. I told him my story. He loved my story. I told him all the end and out to all the, like the glossing over with my heart, stop going on the operating table. Like, I could, again, I could talk an hour about that. Like, it was fucking, like, really scary. And having the insane belief that I was going to fight again to go again

and lie on my bed again. and no one happened to me before. Like, you know, I was lucky last time. I'm not going to be so lucky next time. And well-in-lawed dice again and again after something like that. Takes a lot of bottle to do that. Me and Kobe spoke and incidentally, throughout this time, I did a big interview with when I retired from boxing,

March 11th, 2019. My first interview was BBC. And I had tears on my eyes. I've been boxing until I was 12 years old. Since Aaron Cooper, be a bad, Deakin that night i was a box from that night to that day and i wasn't a box anymore had big tears in my eyes big cartoon tears in my eyes and mike costello the journalist said to me hey what's next you still a young man what's next and purely to pop myself so i didn't cry on camera i went

so i don't know always liked wrestling might become a wrestler wow and then and he was the tongue and cheek, I was so consumed in where I was at the time, I wasn't thinking about the future. So worded out, BBC goes all around the world, WB saw it, they got in touch with me, asking out for a tryout, I'm what that's what they'll do? He said, look at it. He said, go to

a tryout, then meet Cody, and so I went to try out, they were really impressed with me. I did a, we did a promo class one day with Road Dog, mate, like again, I'm not arrogant, my fucking killed him. He said, just sit and watch, just sit and watch. sit and watch.

I sat and watch. I did a class where, like, they had to turn. Do a two-minute promo and then turn in the promo. He said, you can turn either way. It says easier to be a good guy, then turn to a bad guy.

And so I'm sitting watching. I went to him, said, can I have a go, please? You sure? Yeah, I'll have to go. And everyone up, and I was like second to the last person, and everyone up at this point

had done typical, you know, well, now I'm a bad guy. So I switched to it. Right. So I was like, came out here and I was like being really cocky, really arrogant, being a boxer. Like, I can't remember what I said, but basically I was being a really cocky, a hugger and boxer, wrestles beneath me, like, I'm going to walk into this bitch. I'm going to be the fucking champion in six months time. Then I was like, but then I took a bump. And then I knew how hard this is. And I see how hard you guys work? And blah blah, blah. So the opposite, it was like a heel. And it's much harder to be a heel than baby face. He loved it, mate. He was like, fuck. Like.

And I thought of that when I was watching other guys do it for the last 45 minutes. He said to me, next last on Thursday, come back. This is just the scenario. U.S. Finn Baller, but in the continental trial and battleground, must be for the next pay-per-view. He said, you've got 90 seconds. Perfect. And I went away, and then I took my leather jacket with me, madly enough, because Orlando's red hot. I don't know why I did that.

But I didn't put my leather jacket, sunglasses, and then, like, out-ballowed Finn Ballet. And he loved it. And as I said, they basically offered me a contract. And then AW offered me a contract. And the maddest thing was, two weeks before, I was a boxer. Two weeks later, I've now got the two biggest companies in the world, wanting to sign me, the biggest rest of companies in the world wanted to sign me. And then I met Tony Kahn at Fulham game in London.

And, mate, like, as soon as I met him and I heard his vision for AW and what he wanted to do, and saw how charismatic he was and how nice he was I was like, I was, I was fed in love with his vision of AW. You grew up watching WW and never missing RAW for 15 years. I'm sure at first after the WWE trial,

you were probably leaning towards, oh my gosh, I'm going to be WWE superstar now. I, to a degree, plus then they, yeah, like they never actually got to put money they offered them money, but they also spoke to my agent. And they were talking numbers, and the numbers were better than A.W. I was going to be the first developmental talent that they signed.

And from reading between the lines, I don't think they were that fuss about signing somebody from scratch, because we had no, we have no, we have no real school where we trained. You were the first one. The first one. And we had to try to figure out, and Q2 was going to train me. But Q2 was also at the time, Cody's assistant and doing more. behind the scene and stuff, and an on-screen talent team is really, really busy.

Yeah. So they, I think they offered me a contract where I was like, you might not accept this because it's not the best contract, but if he does accept it, we'll see how much you wants it. And so that was quite attractive offer. But as I said,

meeting Tony and Cody and the vision, I want to be part of that. And also, I've got, you know, when I thought it was half of boxing, I thought like my life ended. I was extremely depressed.

suicidal at points like you know i've got a whole like mental health talk that i do where like i talk about the things i experienced at the time because i was so you know i was in a bad pace and um boxing was my everything and i said to myself that move this next chapter in my life i've got lots of our learning lessons and i can't make the same mistakes in this next chapter as i made in boxing. The mistakes is being, I love wrestling. I love it. I'm over here.

I'm away from my family. I bust my ass every. I mentioned earlier, wrestling's easy. It's very hard. It's not easy. It came naturally to me because I've watched over so long. I'm very athletic.

And also I'm a little bit older. And I haven't got time to waste. I'm on it. I'm on it. I start with a 31. I'm on it because I can't do it all over four years. Like an 18 year old can. Like Lee Johnson's 23 years old.

It's all the time in the world. I haven't. So I've got to get a way. So that's why I trained so hard and I study so much. So, no, time's against me kind of thing. And you were immediately moved to Atlanta, right? Straightway, to Atlanta, soon my visa came through, took a few months, the visas came through.

I was here, bumping, learning. But, yeah, I met Tony, and as I said, I was burned away by his passion for wrestling. He loved it. And the point I was making was, I want to, wrestling is what I love. I love wrestling. But I want things outside.

of wrestling. I'm setting up a podcast at a minute where I'll talk about mental health. I'll talk about people achieving great things, but only after suffering, like, unbelievable setbacks. I want to do some TV stuff and some movie stuff. I like that stuff. So you've done a lot of TV stuff. Like, and I don't know if everybody in the US knows this. Like, you were after the Olympics, you were a pretty big star in the UK. So yeah, I mean, I won a medal. Any medalist, you know, from UK gets a lot of attention. But As I mentioned earlier with my mum's illness and stuff, that story got out.

And I wasn't, I didn't say much, but that story got out and everyone knew I was going through since a difficult time. And going through, I went through, the injuries and my mom's illness, and still getting the medal and getting up off the canvas, both metaphorically and literally, time and time again, and it's still fighting. Like, listen, like that story got around. I've done some huge, huge TV shows. And, yeah, I was one of the stars with the games,

like genuinely one of the stars. And if I had to got the gold medal, I think I'd have been the star for the last 10 years. But anyway, you want a show called Splash, which I actually auditioned in the U.S. to host the U.S. Edition. Really? Yeah. It's a fascinating. For anybody who doesn't know, it's a fascinating idea.

It's basically dancing with the stars, but it's diving. Like, you have to go up on the high dive. I don't know how you have the balls to do that. Like, that stuff's unbelievable. Yeah. My, I mean, sink or swim, literally, right? You got to do it. Literally, yeah.

Like wrestling, like top, like people, the fans have no idea how high the top world is. Mate, it's nuts. It's like, honestly, when you watch wrestling, you get accustomed to watching wrestling. You can't, you have no idea how hard the floor is, how hard the canvas is, hurts. Like, every single day, I've been wrestling out for a couple of years. Go to warm up, you do your roles, take some bumps. That first bump, man, is a fucking kick in the dick. me, it's like everything

with their first bump. And like, you get callous to her, but still, still, man, it's like, you get you. But, like, you've just got to do it. You've got to listen to it. When you've got a coach and I won't put over QT Marshall, right? I call on Mike, his name's Mike. Unbelievable coach, right?

Unbelievable talent. One of the best wrestlers in the world. Like, so good of what he does. I say it on commentary over time. There's not a movie cannot do. Not just cannot do. cannot do the only person

who does a better for a fifth than him of seeing his pack like it's so good right like he's just and then when he does he's so good

that when he doesn't move bad there's a bad on purpose I guess how good like how good must you be to be able to do a really hard move bad on purpose to get heat

he's unbelievable um a big shout to Cody as well no to go into back for me he's really I'm glad he's going to get in his roses now he's doing really well i feel like cody's he kind of brought you in and brought you under his wing like because when you debuted and your your debut match was at double or nothing like with cody that that's a

big deal yeah yeah and there's a lot yeah we had 16 minutes we lost six uh so having your first match you know i mean the first match on a massive scale like that literally my first match i've been training for i got here in september 2020 and then we were doing the jackson bowl louis So Jacksonville for a week back in the answer for a week. Yeah. So I was training every other week, September to May. So September, October, November, December, January, very much of May. So nine months.

I had four and a half months of training on my belt, my 16 minute match with Cody. And I've seen people at TV like, you've got to cut them, you've got to cut a minute. And then I panic, they can make mistakes. Like, we lost six minutes in our match, six minutes. in my first ever match, which was like annoying because we had some course of your plans and we're going to have really like, I'll hype up the bigger moments and stuff. But listen, you know, you've got to be a team player in this business.

And I very much am a team player. And I want AW to be successful, of course. Yeah. But I want AW to be successful as well. And sometimes you got to be a team player. Look, a lot has been made of that way in segment. And I mean, big show recently called it disastrous. When you were in it, when you were standing in the ring, did it feel to you like,

fucking dog shit, mate, dog shit? Like, so Cody said to me, you went, oh, we do a way in. I was, oh, cool. I was like, what's going to happen? It's going to be a way in. And Cody's brilliant, right? Cody's brilliant, right? He's brilliant and what he does.

He's got a great mind for it. I love, he's a really good coach. Like, great promo coach. QT is a great wrestling coach, right? Any move from the line, he can do it. You can teach you how to get into it, how to get out of it. The reversals, QT is the fucking man. And Cody.

A lot of great minds in that ring. Mate, I've been very, very fortunate. And then I've got DDP. I can call it any time. Me and Jerry Lynn are like best mates. It's weird. Me and Jerry Lynn, every Wednesday morning their TV, have breakfast club.

Just me and Jerry Lynn. It's just the maddest thing. I'm trained with some real cool people, you know, and I'll be very, very, very lucky. But I think they do that because they see that I want it. Why? They see them I'm sacrificing and working hard, and I think it's deserved in many aspects.

But Cody's great. Promo is a great. He's great-ish film study. I can see it and watch him. We watched a Rick Fleher match recently last year. And it's a 20-minute match, almost two hours. Watch a pause, talk. He learned so much.

He's so, so good. However, he was like, oh, we're going to do a fight. We're going to do away. And I call, what's, like, who's getting knocked down? What we're going to do? I'm not having to weigh in, knocking the touch. I was like, oh. I've watched our rest

to know that that's a bit drab, a bit of a bit of fucking bit shit he's like, that has to be cool. I've been on TV. I've been on TV. I've been on TV.

I'm going to turn up. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to do what I'm told. Mate, I'm in it. And I'm thinking, the crap. And you've got big shows there. He's sweating his tits off.

He's getting in the art. And I called, I said to him, so I said to him, I'm just being a hill. I went, so I thought he hated me for ages. Paul. I said, I said to him something like,

can't you count, you dumb yank. And then, of the segments happen, no one's happy. I was, I, I just did my job. I just like, nothing I could do. I just did my job. Get my phone. My friend texted me. And they went, oh, I can't believe you called the big show,

C-U-N-T, right? And I went, what did I? I mean, I knew. When I'm out there, the red light goes on, I'm in the zone. I'm in the zone, and what I do is real, right? And I thought, I say that, it's one of my favorite words. I say it all the time.

But I thought, even I wouldn't have said that, I don't think. Not on live TV. No, yeah. But then again, I do get lost in the moment because it becomes real to me. And if I'm having a photo of somebody, I'm calling them every name and a son, but I'm knocking them out. So, like, possibly I did. And then I saw, I watched it back. And I did, and I said, you can't count.

And when I said count, it looks like I said, but I didn't. I'm thinking, oh, and then I saw him next week, you wouldn't speak to me because he was busy not because of that. And I thought, oh, you think I've got a pun, I think I'm not going on. Like, my whole thing was disastrous, mate. It really was.

But, you know, like, I feel like, well, I felt on the, I'm the victim. Because it is like, it was my first kind of entry, and I'm in this really weird segment, which I didn't, I wasn't my idea. I would have, I'd have a, I'd rather knocked out

Gold dust knock out of dusting right we get out the ring we jump big hoor maybe Aaron Solo gets beaten up

whatever me and QT get away Scott three and then it's like at least something happens but

they're just we're having this weird thing where I'm in my little union jackpants like I'm getting up

on the turnbuckle we do a yay boo thing which is so like childish and I don't

like that like that's not I like the Brian Daniel The William Regals, they're in your face, smash. Like the John Moxley, like, they get stuck in, right? That's what I like about wrestling.

I like, the realism. I like, I like blur the line between real and not real. And that's what I like. I don't like, stand in my pants doing boo, yay, boo. So, I'm embarrassed, mate. And then like, I'd never stood in a turnbuckle before with no shoes on. Because I'd have no shoes on for weight in. And like, the metal sucks are really hard.

So I'm like, my poor little source of my feet, getting dug in by the metal struts. I wanted the ground to swallowing me up. But listen, you know, you got to do your job. I wonder, though, if that segment would have got the negative attention that it got, if it wasn't for Cody's reality show. Because he kind of called it out and you kind of went beyond the scenes and saw, like, his true emotions of it.

Because I remember watching it, I thought, it started out fine. And then it just kind of went downhill from there. Like there's this weird moment where QT's making a big deal about the fact that you weighed one pound more than Cody. So you're probably going to win because you weigh one pound more than him. And then the segment ends with Cody being like, okay, well, I love everybody. See it double or nothing. And I just thought, no, it started showing, but it really ended poorly. Yeah, it didn't start that strong.

Big joke, it didn't work out the thingy. Yeah, you didn't know how the scale. Yeah, because the ring moves and finger wobbling. and like, I, they think he said I weighed 219. I would like $2.35. So he's done me for 15 pounds. I'm like, fucking I'm, Mike. Like, you've done me, mate.

Maybe he can't count. Yeah. Maybe, maybe. But like, I, uh, you know, again, the, the, the, the, the one, hindsight is a wonderful thing. It'd been my idea what I once would have liked to have done. I wasn't, I wasn't at stage. I'm still not really where I could pitch this stuff. People like Cody's been there for 15 years.

I can't tell him, I wish to do this. So they're stuck the mutton dusting You know He had all his posse All his students came out as well Fucking chuck out of solo in there Me and Qutie Dust

We get out of there Yeah And we're laughing And you go to I like this Sunday I'm gonna smash you up on Sunday I don't think you'll be having any way

In segments anytime soon But I like this I don't think so either But yeah I mean they can be done It's just anything you'd be done But it's yeah I don't know

how much of that was, I don't know, I turn up each week, I work hard, I'll do my job as well as I can, I'm still learning, and QT, so Cody, sorry, he spoke a lot about wrestling, and he has, and he's an amazing mind for it. He really has, he's got an amazing, amazing mind. I'm really grateful that he chose to welcome me on my first program, and thus far only program, but really, So that's his idea and sometimes they fall flat. But you know, like other different circumstances, something really small could happen and then that could be in the best segment on the show. You just never know.

So Cody's got enough cloud that when he says something, you do it because normally it's out of the park, sometimes they fall flat, you know, and that happens. Have you talked to him since he went to WWE? Yeah, yeah, we text, yeah, we text, yeah, we text. I owe him a lot, a lot, a lot. We're not, yeah, I don't know a lot. Like, he brought me in and, you know, again, read in between the lines, I think that when he pitched my name to TK and then the other

VPs, EVPs, I don't know how, and I do not know how, you know, joyful they were to bring on an undeveloped, a non-developed talent. And I think he really went about for me from what I've kind of like figured out. And I really respect that because he could have went, okay, cool, no, I was sorry, mate, but, you know, I could have been languishing the NXD for the last two years. And I do nothing. Oh, I could have been killing it down there. I think I would have killed him because I think I work very hard and I believe in myself.

But I'm very happy that he meant the bat for me. I'm very happy where I am. So I loved company. And ultimately, like, it was when I met Tony at Fullum and he told me his vision for AW and the vision for me, like I fell in love with his, his charisma, his passion, in his drive and he's got a unique flamboyance about himself Tony Khan which is mesmerized and I go into his office they've got ideas and then we'll talk a little bit then he'll talk again well mate like if he says go up in the oven he's got a weird way to make you go yeah

of course yeah certainly can hunt it I'll do it like so he's he's a really really really great man and um yeah he's got to be that and he has good people around him you know we're good people around and So it's a nice player to go to work each week. I'm really happy there. I imagine with your work ethic, you're hungry for more. So what is it? Like, what is it that you want more of right now in AEW? If I'll be my honest opportunity.

Like, I had this program with Cody. I had to come back to the UK because I had some visa stuff going on. I had to get a new visa and I had to leave Manco to get a new visa. And that took four or five months. So regardless of the Cody's stall, I had to leave anyway, which was really shit because I wanted to build on that. And I've come back. and, you know, when I was gone, we signed the best rest of this probably ever lived,

Brian Danielson, so I'm seeing Punk, Manukai Blacks, and amazing stars. And it's just a really, like, rammed roster at the minute, which is great, unbelievable. And I like the competition. I don't see it's competition because, like, I know me, I know what I can do, I back myself. So I want people to do well because the better they do, the hard work got a working opportunity. So I don't see it's competition. Nobody can be me, right? So I back myself to the hill.

But I would like more opportunity to show what I can do. But, you know, I'll go work hard. I'm learning and I'll, you know, I'm developing a lot. Well, Tony's talked about taking AEW overseas in 2020. And I feel like when they do go to the UK, like the reception you get there is going to be unbelievable. Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. And I think I've got the, because of the boxing and because of the TV things I've learned in the past,

some of my very famous friends of different walks of life. I think I've got that I've got the mainstream appeal where I can go on a chat show in UK and promote Western, which don't really do anymore. I think I mentioned to you before. Like I almost got me and Cody on the late late show, James Gordon last year promoting our few for double or nothing. Wow.

And the reason why we did it is because of COVID stuff and travel restrictions. and I know James kind of and stuff. So in the end, we didn't do it because whatever. But like, I have those connections where I can get AW in front of other, like, more eyeballs, more mainstream eyeballs, which is more wrestling fans are going to watch wrestling because we are, we are weird bunch of people. We love Western and aren't very much in that category.

The more other eyeballs we can get on it and more fans we can kind of bring to the sport, the industry, the better because. I think, obviously I'm very blessed. I'm in it and I love it. I think it's a beautiful art form, which is wildly under-appreciated by the mainstream masses. And I don't want that to be the case anymore. On people to appreciate how hard it is,

like how talented the boys and girls are in the back, and how much they bleed. It's so many like cliche, but they bleed, they sweat, they cry for this business. And I think people should respect what we do more. So, yeah. I think it's such an interesting thing in pro wrestling that when you have an accent that's not American, you're instantly made into a heel.

And you tow this line really well on social media where you make these videos, where you talk about all the things you don't like about America, you really dig into it. It feels like there's some truth behind that. Hey, I mean every fucking words. I hate it. Oh, no. I don't like it.

Like, I don't. I like three things here there's coffee shop I like going to around the corner I'd sit there like to chill I like some people a few people I like and there's probably a third thing

but I can't think of a third one I do know what it is like I do it's like it's cool it's so high it's America's an odd place mate and I live I live I live in London

on the edge of East London and I love it I pop into town I love it city in the world. I'm home. My family and friends there. I love London. I love the UK. I love my home. I'm very passionate about being home.

What I don't like, I don't think I'm a heel. I don't think I'm a hill. People boom me. People boom me because you heard my story, right? The Limba game story, mom being ill, injuries. What I did to get to the Dimbabre games, people would bulk at, like, they wouldn't

sacrifice their, they wouldn't sacrifice their teenagers to get to Olympic Games, you know. having the prospect of potentially go into a qualifier and I sacrifice so much of my life so much hardship to go to the other games to win a medal I'm fucking proud of where I have my flag and I mean that every day

and I do Olympic Christi as I mentioned earlier pond my head with a flag that means so much to me and people boom me because of that someone waving an American flag fuck them like and I mean that wholeheartedly I really mean that like

and I hate I hate like this isn't the worst place in the world I ain't far off of it though like I hate how in this country how the American citizens have a blind worship to this place it's like I think it's disgusting

that kids from age of three, four, five years old stand up and pledged to a flag and they're brainwashed to love their country no matter what this country's so bad no other country do like school shooting just aren't a thing in most

Western civilized country. Look, it's not a fucking thing. I'm from Canada. So, and I've lived in the US now for 12 years, and I've always said it's such a strange thing that when a school shooting happens, we don't ask, what country did that happen in? Because we immediately know what country had happened in.

It's, it's and like, there's kind of as a school shooting in Dunblane, Scotland in the 18s. And since then, nothing. There won't be. They won't be, right? And Americans say, oh, yeah, but in England, you stab each one. Yeah, there's a knife problem in the UK at the minute. It's much harder

stab somebody to him. You've got to get close to him. You'll stick a knife in somebody. You can stab a note. You can stab one, two, three people before you get taken down. You can be a coward in a building and a gun and popped 50 people. You know, it's just, it's very different, right? Like, Yeah, and I don't know what the answer is, right? But I see the comment. fucking the answer is just get rid of guns. I don't know if that's the answer. I don't know if that's... How's that not the answer?

And people, how is that not the answer? I see the comments on your videos and people are like, well, if you don't like it, you're like, and I'm like, well, that's... And my response is, my response is, one, fuck you. I'm happy to be in here. And I'm here taking your American money. that when I earn enough money, I'm going, mate. Like, when I've got enough money, I'm going.

So, yeah, cool, sweet. Like, I don't know. And those people, right, I'm talking about, I'm talking, I'm talking about school shootings. A six-year-old, went to school, a six-year-old, no pig tails, little book bag, lunchbox, and didn't come back. And their parents will grieve the rest of their brothers will give this. And rather than someone going, oh, fucking, yeah, that's really bad. I'm ashamed of my country.

I'm ashamed that my country allows this to repeatedly happen. repeatedly every month, right? Repeatedly, while them going, fuck, yeah, that's really bad. I'm just not going to comment on this one because, like, how can I defend that? They go, well, go away then. Go, fuck her back to England then.

How, how, let's see if the decision makers, that was your daughter, that was your son that got shot on the head, never came back. Then let's see if guns are a problem. Let's see, and then, there's no been guns, mate. My wife came here, the Vegas, double-in-flute to Vegas. She came here, she had a chest infection.

Went to hospital. Four o'clock in this one. This is why I hate, right? I had the idea that this country is the greatest country in the world. And people actually think that. They've never left America. They don't understand what it's like in nice countries. My wife, right, came to America to see me in May.

She had a chest infection. We, she struggled to breathe. She had shit coming out of her fucking nose or wise. She was in a bad, bad, bad way. We drove to the hospital, a quarter past four in the morning. And we sat there. They would not. We sat there and they, something that's trivial is, that's, that the print of this form for me to sign,

where they couldn't print it off because the person who had the key left that they didn't leave a key in this thing. Something that's just silly is they couldn't get into this room to print off a form for me to sign. I have to prove that I could pay for treatment before they gave. They wouldn't even give us a bottle of water. My wife was coughing my guts up. Wouldn't give her a bottle of water until we could pay, until we could prove that I've got the money to pay for treatment. Two hours she sat there, coughing, coughing, coughing. Oh, again, I wait.

I could vote, then the person came back to work at half by six, open door, signed it, yeah, we can pay for it, you've got enough money in the bank. Here's a bottle of water. And then we stayed there all day. They gave us medicine and that's the wrong medicine and whatever. It's like, it's all about money in this place. It's all about money, money, money, money. I had a same thing last year.

I went to a hospital last year for this thing. And I was like, oh, they said, an MRI scan your brain. me four and a half grand. It's probably nothing bad. What you got? It's probably nothing bad. It was probably just a bad headache. And I bang my head.

I was for a bit. Like at home, I would get checked out just to make sure because I like my head. I like myself. I don't know if I was a guy. And my mom had an aneurysm, 2012. And the symptoms that she experienced before she had it, she remembers her symptoms.

I felt the same. I thought, I was a box for a long time, took a lot of head punches. Like, I'm probably going to be fine. But on a small chance, I want to go in, I want to go and, you know, get checked out. I want to just ball. We sure you're fine. How much NEMI scan?

Four and a half grand. Oh, that's a lot of money. Oh, that's a lot of money. You're probably fine. If you want, you can get it done. What do they would do? What do they would do? Are sure I'm going to be fine?

Yeah. Just double check. I'm going to pay the money. Four and a half grand. Head scan. Yeah, you're fine. Sweet. Now, I went home and I was fine.

I was able to pay four and a half grand because I've got that man making out, right? But there's so many people out there, single parents, single mothers, people that have four and a hard time through no fault of their own. Maybe somebody's run away from home because maybe an 18, 15 year old girl ran away from home because her stepdad abused her, right? Ended up homeless. Got beat up in the street by some fucking tricks.

Went to hospital. She cannot afford the four and a half grand. doesn't get a head scan, she dies with brain aneurysm, right? It's fucking, it's disgusting. It's disgusting. In the UK, we're not perfect. And I love my country, but I don't say we're the best in the world because we're probably not. But we're damn so bad in this place.

Anybody at home can go to hospital, get a head scan for free. It's not because where I'll come from, people's lives, whether you earn five grand a year, 50, 500, your life is worth more of the money. Over here, if you can't afford paper treatment, you're left to rot and die in the street. That's disgusting. And anybody that can hear me say this and still go, nah, fuck it all,

and then, no, people can go to a Buffalo, a few months ago and shoot dead black people in the supermarket, you know, and then 4th of July. There was a shooting in Illinois. I was here 4th of July. I hated it. I was in Florida and an air parade. hours after a school shooting, some woman wore a dress saying friends, family, firearms,

forever. And I thought, you are like, there's going to be people that hear all this and still go, yep, greatest country on earth. Fucking dickheads, they're dickheads. And I mean that. And that ain't the governor saying that, that's me saying that you're just backwards. And that is because they're brainwashes kids with pleasure of allegiance to a flag, have no idea what's going on.

And they'll never leave America. They'll never actually go and see what a good country is. And don't give me starting the whole abortion thing, mate. Don't give me started on that because I've got you all riled up here. I'm pissed up. I'm going to work out in a minute. I've got some, I've got some tension to get out. But, yeah, this is like.

Well, look, it's interesting as two immigrants to this country talking about this. That's what this is. In all seriousness, like America has some of the great, America has some amazing stuff. They're very good at certain things. Wrestling, for example, I like how America do big things very well, right? They do big things very well. And I think that America still, like the American dream is still very much alive. If you want to make it in certain industries and you want to be at the very top,

this is the place you move to, to do it. You just got a risk. I agree to that to a extent. The opportunity to earn money here is greater than other countries. I appreciate that. You got to risk your kid. getting shot on the head at school, though. That's, that's the payoff.

Probably not going to happen to you. They're fucking might. And what's the payoff? I'm going to earn a bit more money over here. But there's a chance that my kid will go to school in the morning and will get shot in the head and not come back. Or what the risk is being a black man in America, being a mixed race man, I'm past the mixed race in UK, I'm past the black over here.

Driving in, driving in Macon, Georgia, driving around and seeing. a police car, see me, pull out and follow me, and I'm driving, I'll never, never speed. I value me too much to fucking speed and crash and hurt myself or anybody else. I never speed. I'm a sensible driver. Seeing somebody, a copper, follow me for 20 minutes, to wait in for me to not do a signal, not indicate, or waiting for me to, to, to, to, when we do something, so they can get me and, you know, and make my life misery for next two hours.

that's what I deal with every single day. In Atlanta, it doesn't get that much. We leave out of Atlanta. Atlanta drive to Jackson's door didn't a lot last year, mate. I dread the five hours

and now what's going to happen? Now I'm going to be followed. Now I'm going to get followed by. And that's a daily occurrence of certain people. And what I think is really weird. I'm very friend who with Carly Bravo. It was a really,

really good independent wrestler. He was killing it on the end. He's really proud of him. He was a Marine from America. Right? So we had this. We had this like Joe, Bior, brand to UK best America, like back and for all the time, right?

Really, it's funny. But what I struggle is, so people like him, he's a black man in America, he life is difficult for him, right? Like much hard, he doesn't get the opportunities that other people get because of color of skin, but people like that, they still say, America, best place in the world. I'm thinking, what did I do this for how do they brain or should you, one of the people that should be like, oh no, that ain't very great for us?

Like in other countries, they have given more an opportunity. You know, but listen, in America, get a number on the students growing up. But it's cool. Listen, listen, it has a lot of good here. It has a lot of good here because I'm here. Have you thought about going back? Have you thought about going back to the UK? I'm a toughie.

I can write out. Listen, I agree with your point. I do agree with your point. I'm just curious because I feel like that that's a lot. There's going to be a lot of comments on this video from people being like, if you don't like, why do you still live here? I'm here. And because, okay, right, to concur with what you said, you can earn more money here in certain industries, right?

You can't get ahead here in certain industries. Like, it's very good at that, right? It's entertainment industry, wrestling, TV, acting, movies is better. It's better here. It's big here. It's better if there's more opportunity. I get that. I actually like it in the South.

Like, I love people. People are quite nice. That's a southern hospitality thing. I like it. It's a real thing. Yeah. It's a real thing and I actually really like it.

Like there are things like I say, and things like, I say something's tongue-jigs. Some things are very passionate about. Done thing. Kids getting shot in the head. Black people getting shot in the head. The abortion thing I feel very strongly about.

Some things annoys me more than I feel strongly about it. You know, but is what it is. I will, when I finish wrestling, I don't know what I'm going to do. I haven't figured out yet.

But I will retire in England for sure 100% in the UK I'll go back on eventually this is a this is a 10 20 year chapter of my life so but I'm enjoying this next thing I do enjoy being in it

it's cool and I do like wind the people up I'm very thick skins right I'm very hard to wind up to piss off so I enjoy doing my Twitter things people get so pissed off makes me laugh really has to be hard because I mean I just I don't care enough about it all.

But, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's good here. And I enjoy the entertainment thing. You can become the biggest star here. If you're a star in America, automatically you're starting over countries. Because he does have an influence over the world. It's just, it is a case of, you've got to put up a lot of shit. Well, when I first moved here, I was blown away by the food choices. I was like, tell me about the cheesecake factory.

Maybe, no, but it's a bad thing. That stresses me out, right? So there's so many options. For the first like six months I lived here, I was like, I was eating. It was Cracker Barrel and Waffle House and Applebee's and like every chain that I'd never experienced before in my life. I'm like, I want it all. I went to steak and shake and was like, what do you mean I can get two meals for $10? This is mind blowing.

Because they want everyone to be fat. Because if you're fat, you're unhealthy, if you're unhealthy, you have surgery, surgery, spend money, then they get money. It's like it's all about money But like I go to a restaurant And the menu is like a fucking Bible It's like an old school map It's so big

Like I want I want one of six things I want a six things Like I'll need 60 options It's too much It stresses me out I'll go to a restaurant I swear out of my roommate orders for me

Because I get stressed out There's too much choice And then one day everyone's like So much like anxiety in America Everyone's like stressed out all the time But everything So much choice. The paradox of choice.

That's a real thing. The paradox of choice. I get it. TV in the UK, we have a lot of channels, right? In America, there's 10 times more. That's amazing. It's like, I'll see a family go on some channel. I might watch that.

But it's half a big round, all the channels, two websites have gone. It's like, I'll miss jobs as a family guy. And at any point during the day, you can turn on the TV, and the office, Seinfeld or Friends is on. Yeah, yeah. It's not the good office, though. The good office is the UK office. Ricky Jervais.

That's the proper office. The original. Look, I've got you all wound up here, but it's fascinating learning about your story and like learning more about, you know, who the governor is because I feel like we only see a slice of it on AEW. Yeah, we haven't seen enough. Like, I've been working really hard. Opportunities have been very slim lately because I said,

I mean, ago we've got a wrapped, a rammed roster. But working very hard. And when I am given next opportunity, I'll definitely grab up both hands. And there's so many layers that we can peel in with me. I've lived such a life already and in real life. And I'm waiting to be able to bring that out on TV. Yeah.

And I think you're healthy and ready to go. I'm bad at I've had 17. I've got the best men's record in AW. The only person who's got better record than me is he's had over like 10 matches is Jay. I think I'm like 17, I think I'm like 19 and one. The one match against Cody have lost. The one ever match. I'm learning and developing. I'm learning so much. It's like I haven't got, I'm not given enough time there to show what I can do. I'm going to start doing some more indie dates because I just want to wrestle. I just want to wrestle and get good and get

reps in. So I'm doing more indie days. Hit me up for some indie dates. So what's the best place for people to book you? At, I'm a Twitter, on Instagram, at in a go-go on my management email, Ogogo management at gmail.com. Yeah, reach out to me. I'm willing to do indies. I just want to learn and get better. And at the middle, I'm just going to do

squash matches in AW. I want to wrestle with good people. That's how we get really better. I'm doing all the training in the ring. I'm training with Dave Taylor, a British legend here in Atlanta. We're training together two, three times a week, every week. So I'm learning so much, like, old-school British stuff.

but I want an opportunity to kind of do it in a match format. So that's really cool. But yeah, I'm just doing, I'm fit, I'm healthy, I'm wearing to go. And there's a big future for me 100%. I can't wait to see what's next for you. And look, I end every conversation

with the same question because I love gratitude. And I wake up every day, I say out loud three things that I'm grateful for. So, Anthony, for you, what are three things in your life that you're grateful for right now? I'm grateful that

I see I'm grateful that living in this shit whole of America I'm joking I'm talking I'm like a heel I'm grateful

I'm joking but not really I'm grateful I'm very very very very grateful that when I retired from boxing like in many aspects I thought my life is over and I mentioned earlier

I was very suicidal I mentioned very dark places I'm very grateful that I've been given a second chance of doing something that gives me a lot of fulfillment. And, you know, wrestling isn't the next best thing. It wasn't, I don't look at it like that. Wrestling is an amazing thing in its own way.

And I have to have a bad injury with boxing and damaging my eye and not been able to do a lot of stuff. Like, I'm so glad for, thank for DDB, for Cody, for Tony Gant, for Kutty Marshall, and everyone else who I've worked with for giving me a platform to be happy again, really. and to do something like it sounds really cheesy but I'm genuinely first dream Olympic got meadow as 11 12 world watching the rock all down to the ring second dream be the rock mate be a little bit of rock and I'm genuinely this is a second chance living our childhood dream like walking down the ring and being a professional wrestling which is the

coolest thing in the world so I'm very very very very grateful for that and I'm grateful my most of the life and she's supported me through this I've got the most amazing support of wife, amazing family. And I'm very grateful, Chris, for having a chance to talk to you today and to share my story with the rest and found. So thank you very much, man. I really appreciate it. It's a heck of a story. That's my pleasure for, you know, to be able to listen to it and have you on the show. So Anthony, before we wrap up, I just want to say thank you for Connor Jarvis, first man management for hooking this up. I really appreciate you. Thank you for my teams as well. We really, really appreciate it. And as I said, my huge, huge future,

huge future and I look forward to talk to you again man talking talking more wrestling winning belts storylines and all that fun stuff well do the next one in person how about that come there we go my friend big thank you to anthony for joining us and thank you as always for being with us on another audio adventure I can't wait to see what's next for anthony hey do me a favor please share this episode with a friend that you know would love this and take a screenshot and share it on social media tag us So we know you're listening. Anthony is at Anthony Agogo.

I'm at Chris Van Vleet. That's easy because it's just our names. And I'll leave you with an amazing quote from Ruth E. Rinkle. You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. Be great and be grateful. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. Jim Rome takes on sports. Why?

Because I have a job to do with rapid fire. takes. So I don't want to hear from you lava pigs on this notion today. No idea what you're talking about. You're complaining more than you like to breathe air. It's like you get up in the morning only to complain and cry and moan on social media

about things that you don't even understand. He's the spitfire of sports smack. Take advantage of it, but get up in here. The Jim Rome Show podcast. What's your beef? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.