Before signing with AEW, Anthony Ogogo led a successful boxing career, notably winning an Olympic medal. AEW is a company with a lot of variety, but apart from perhaps Jake Hager, who now and again incorporates MMA into his offense, the company doesn’t have a clear sports crossover star who feels like a big deal. Ogogo was perhaps on the verge of that before some bad booking and injuries, but he could still become a top name in the company.

Ogogo’s Boxing Career Was Cut Short, But He Found A New Home In Wrestling

Ogogo started his boxing career at a young age, winning a gold medal in the Junior Olympics at the age of just twelve. He would pursue this career path, eventually representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, becoming a national hero as he won a bronze medal in the middleweight class at the Games. Following this, he moved on to professional boxing after a successful time as an amateur.

Anthony Ogogo 2012 Olympics

From 2013 to 2016, he would go unbeaten in his first eleven fights, despite being marred by several injuries. However, during a fight with Craig Cunningham in what was Ogogo’s first championship fight, he would suffer from a fractured eye socket. In his fight to return to the ring, Ogogo was registered blind in 2017. He wouldn’t give up, going through multiple surgeries to try and repair his eye, but was forced into retirement in 2019, having to give up his dream. That wasn’t the end for him though, as he made the switch to professional wrestling.

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After one match on the independent circuit, Ogogo was an early signing to AEW as their very first developmental wrestler in 2019. He was allegedly supposed to be in the original plans for the Inner Circle group, which would subsequently not include him. Looking at how the group has developed, that was clearly the correct decision as he wouldn’t have fit in with the other members. He would have a stint on AEW Dark as a commentator, before making his debut as a competitor in March 2021.

Ogogo Is A Natural Under The Spotlight

QT Marshall turned on the Nightmare Family, bringing Anthony Ogogo on board with his new faction, The Factory. Immediately, Ogogo was painted as the focal point of the group, despite Marshall technically being the leader. His first appearance saw him deliver a punch to the gut of Rhodes, downing him instantly and showcasing the power and damage that can come from his fists, playing into his former career as a boxer.

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Ogogo is one of those individuals that quite simply has the ‘it’ factor. He has a natural presence that cannot be taught, feeling like a big deal when the cameras are on him. His subsequent squash matches in which he would win by referee stoppage after just a single gut shot was something so unique and different that it immediately set him apart from anything ever seen on AEW and managing to accomplish that in professional wrestling is a major feat and one which will help him going forwards.

Anthony Ogogo vs Cody Rhodes

Using his legitimate career as a fighter – and a good one at that – added an element of further danger to him, and it seemed as though AEW had created a unique crossover star that would take the company by storm. However, despite a strong start, Ogogo’s feud with Cody Rhodes devolved into an outdated America vs Foreign Heel storyline, which may have been the deciding factor that led to fans turning on Rhodes as a babyface, especially when it felt obvious that Rhodes would defeat this promising new name. In hindsight, the winner of the match didn’t matter too much, as Ogogo had to take an extended absence from AEW to receive another eye surgery, so a win with no follow-up would’ve perhaps been pointless anyway.

There Is Still A Chance For Ogogo To Become A Star

His recent return to AEW has been quite understated, making his return on Dark and once again beating enhancement talent. However, this may be a good way to slowly build him back up and expand his experience inside the ring. There is a question to be posed though – can he truly be a crossover star for AEW?

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Anthony Ogogo on AEW Dark

If AEW books him into corners, then perhaps not, but if the company commits to making him a terrifying heel who oozes confidence and loves to hurt people, then they have a potential champion on their hands. One thing he will need is to leave The Factory. QT Marshall has unfortunately proven to be one of the least popular acts on AEW TV, and with Ogogo already showcasing more charisma and mic skills, he doesn’t need a manager to do his talking for him. Ogogo is made to be a singles star, but with AEW having a lot of factions and roster members, he may be kept shoehorned into this group. If he is to be a true star with a unique presentation, he needs to be focalized once again, and not held back by people with little heat. With his ventures onto British TV as a celebrity on shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Island, he has also proven that could easily be a mainstream media and TV crossover talent too, with a range of skills.