Congratulations to one AEW star on the upcoming birth of his first child!
AEW star Anthony Ogogo took to social media on August 19th to reveal that he and partner Tatiana Piper are expecting their first child together. He shared images from the couple’s pregnancy photoshoot, writing:
Seconds out, Round 1.
The next round in life’s ring: Parenthood! Baby Ogogo, our future champ, is on the way! 🥊
When Did Anthony Ogogo Sign With AEW?
After his retirement from professional boxing, Anthony Ogogo signed with All Elite Wrestling in late 2019. He made his debut on AEW Dynamite in March of 2021, launching an attack on Cody Rhodes and aligning with QT Marshall’s faction.
In a 2022 interview with Chris Van Vliet, Anthony Ogogo revealed that a conversation with WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page convinced him to transition to professional wrestling after his retirement from boxing. The star first detailed his friendship with DDP, saying:
“So I retired from boxing and I was friends with DDP. He is like my mentor in this game, what an unbelievable dude, I can’t put him over enough. So I was injured, I just hurt my eye, I had 9 surgeries on my eye in 3 years. It was a very difficult time. I was training so hard, making and losing weight, and I got a back injury. I thought that I needed to do something, and being a wrestling fan I listened to podcasts, and Jericho was always putting over DDPY.
So I reached out to him [DDP] and he got back to me and we became best mates. I had 9 surgeries on my eye in 3 years, 4 in America. Every surgery I had in the USA I would come over early and stay over in Atlanta and we would hang out together. We would do yoga together and hang out together, and he said ‘Have you ever thought of being a wrestler.’ I said ‘Dallas I am honoured.’ He said ‘You can talk, you got the look, you are athletic. I think you can do this.’”
Continuing, Ogogo detailed getting into a fight with DDP over his future as the WWE Hall of Famer was insistent that he give up on boxing after a scary medical incident.
I was really humbled but I told him that boxing is my thing, he got it, he is someone who is all about work ethic and achieving your dreams. So I had a surgery, and one of the maddest things happened to me. I woke up from the 3rd surgery and I knew the protocol, 5th on my eye altogether, but then my heart stopped altogether. They resuscitated me back to life, and it was scary as you can imagine. I stayed in hospital overnight to have some regular checks, and Dallas called me. He asked how did it go and I said not well, all the doctors were panicking, big thing.
He said ‘Listen, when are you going to give this dream up? It’s not happening for you. I can make one phone call and make you a wrestler today.’ That was the only argument that me and Dallas ever had. I snapped at him and said ‘F*cking hell! I need everyone that I love and respect to be on my f*cking side now. I can not have you dangling the carrot over here. I have got the blinders on.’ We had an argument and I said to him ‘Don’t mention this to me ever again.’ He said ‘I get it.’”
In the end, however, Anthony Ogogo retired from boxing and listened to the advice of DDP, entering the world of professional wrestling. DDP got him in touch with Cody Rhodes, which eventually led to his AEW signing as the company’s first developmental talent.
That was March 2018 and I retired in March 2019. I Facetimed Dallas and said that I was retiring from boxing and to thank him. He said ‘I’m sorry. I know how much this meant to you.’ He took a beat, then the next thing he said was ‘So now do you want to be a wrestler?’ I said ‘F*ck Dallas, let me mourn my career! 18 years of unfulfilled dreams and pain and bitterness.’ I wanted to sulk, I was still writing my retirement speech. He goes ‘When you are finished sulking then give me a call.’
So I retired the next day, and I went to WrestleMania with some friends from school for my 30th birthday, we all went to WrestleMania in New York. I met Dallas there and he said to me ‘You gotta meet Cody, I’ve been telling Cody about you.’ So I met Cody and told him my story and all of the ins and outs, glossing over how my heart stopped on the operating table and having the insane belief that I was going to fight again.”
Anthony Ogogo returned to AEW television in April of 2024 and is currently aligned with Shane Taylor Promotions.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.