Why Anthony Ogogo Rejected WWE For AEW

Interviewed by Wrestling Inc.'s Nick Hausman ahead of last week's Double Or Nothing 2021 pay-per-view, Anthony Ogogo claimed to have turned WWE down for AEW because he bought into Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, and the company's vision.

Speaking on transitioning from boxing to wrestling, Ogogo called this his "bonus career," adding that he's going to be himself throughout a run he never thought he was going to have.

Then, he touched on rejecting WWE:-

“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.”

Ogogo has made similar points in the past. Speaking with the Evening Standard in 2020, he said the following:-

"I had a choice of WWE and AEW and I chose AEW because I loved the company and loved Cody's vision and I want to be part of something really special. The choice was simple."

AEW signed Ogogo in 2019. This followed a meeting with Rhodes after WWE had invited the former boxer to Orlando for a tryout, though he ended up turning the McMahon-helmed group's contract offer down. His Double Or Nothing loss to Cody was the first of his three-match AEW career.