10 Wrestlers Who Were Secretly Promo GODS
3. Anthony Ogogo
Anthony Ogogo Vs. Cody Rhodes was a misfire of a programme that could not remotely approach the bizarre stakes it imposed on itself.
Cody - and he has expressed his regret over the direction, to his credit - "solved racism" by placing the match in a weird, anachronistic national pride context. Remembered for its insane pretension and a super-botched weigh-in segment, before the feud was memed to death and blown off in a match that was below-par by the standards of an AEW pay-per-view, Ogogo showed considerable potential on promos.
In a forgotten pre-taped effort, Ogogo, who still carried himself as star throughout the whole debacle, was very menacing. While still a relic in terms of content, his delivery was precocious. After zoning in on Cody himself, Ogogo got into the flow. His threats and brags were first rate - "I will punch the peroxide out of your head, you piss boy!" - and, just one noteworthy promo in, he had developed a compelling rhythm and quotable out line.
"I will leave you a bloody mess with your rib cracked, and your jaw jacked" is how Ogogo cut a great if sadly pointless promo, the body language and facials in which cast him as a hard, imposing f*cker capable of doing (and relishing) real damage.
Watching it back now, there's still potential in Ogogo yet - perhaps he could enjoy a slow push behind a faction in a similar manner to Big Bill.