Anthony Henry talks to Fightful about potential future in WWE.
Since 2017, Anthony Henry has been a staple in EVOLVE Wrestling. Henry has competed against the likes of NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong, The Street Profits, Matt Riddle, and NXT UK Champion WALTER during his time with EVOLVE.
At EVOLVE's 10th Anniversary Show, Henry stepped in the ring with NXT superstar Arturo Ruas. The show aired on WWE Network, exposing Henry to a whole new audience. Speaking to Fightful, Henry explained how he was overcome with emotion for a rare time in his career on that day.
"It was literally maybe two weeks before the show that we found out it was going to be on WWE Network. I didn't necessarily have the opportunity to process it. I'm not overly emotional, usually. I'm level-headed about most things, even big things for most people that would like send them into a frenzy, I'm just like 'Oh, that's cool.' That was my mindset going into it. 'Oh, that's pretty cool, hopefully the right people are watching and then some opportunities will come from it.'"
He continued, "It really didn't settle in for me until I had my match, it was over, I got great responses, and once I got to the back, it hit me like a ton of bricks all at once. I realized what had just happened, what I did, and what we did. I just fell to my knees and, I've never been someone to happy cry, but everything came out. Everyone came up to me and was congratulating me and telling me how awesome it was. They were like, 'Are you okay?' I said, 'I'm good. I'm just happy.' It was surreal to realize, 16 years in the business, regardless if I make it to WWE later on, I'm on WWE Network. You can't take that away from me."
EVOLVE has become a gateway to WWE for many wrestlers. With WWE officials constantly in attendance at EVOLVE shows and the WWE Performance Center always inking new talent, Henry has been able to showcase him every time he competes in the EVOLVE ring. Being 16 years in the sport, Henry believes now is the time for him to make the jump to WWE.
"I can't go into too much detail, but I will say that I think there are some possibilities in the future/near future that some things could work out. I'm not saying anything is confirmed or semi-confirmed, but there could be some room for discussion, hopefully soon. We'll see what happens. Working with EVOLVE and the NXT crew that comes down to help out, that's the goal. If you're signed with EVOLVE, [WWE/NXT] is probably where you want to be. That's the next logical step for me," he said.
The EVOLVE/WWE relationship has led to names like Matt Riddle and several others ending up signing with WWE. Fabian Aichner and Austin Theory have also seen heavy crossover and both been EVOLVE Champions while under WWE contract.
