Anthony Henry opens up on concussion diagnosis at NXT taping
Anthony Henry -- formerly known as Asher Hale -- recently opened up on the concussion diagnosis that cut his WWE career short. Speaking out on the PWPonderings Podcast, Henry revealed that he had been told that he was suffering with a concussion when preparing for an NXT taping, saying:
"I went through a tryout initially, had a physical with their doctors before an NXT taping I was at and they basically diagnosed me with these undiagnosed concussions that I had in the past that made them say that I was now a liability and they no longer had interest in me. That led to EVOLVE, because of their relationship with WWE at the time, deciding to part ways with me. Basically, I went from potentially being signed and also wrestling to a place where I made a second home in EVOLVE to having neither option available to me."
Anthony Henry continued, discussing how the pandemic also had an effect on his wrestling career:
"Then, the pandemic hit. My mindset was definitely, 'I think I'm done. I don't think I can do this anymore.' I wasn't in a place mentally to do it anymore. I couldn't even watch wrestling at the time, it kind of made me sick to my stomach because I had given so much to this and then it was taken away from me. You can call it bitter or jade, whatever you want. Everyone has their stories and other people can tell you these crazy things they've gone through. That was where I was at personally. Things ended up turning around, but at the time, I was dead set on being done." (H/T Fightful)
Anthony Henry signed with WWE in January of this year, and made his debut on NXT in May, facing Cameron Grimes. After often being featured on 205 Live, he was released by the company back in August. His last match was against Drake Maverick, a bout Henry would go on to lose.
Anthony Henry has made appearances in AEW
Since his WWE release, Anthony Henry has appeared in AEW. Back in September of this year he faced fan favorite Eddie Kingston on AEW Dark in a losing effort. Anthony Henry has also made multiple appearances in a handful of independent promotions.
A hard worker with immense passion for the industry, every promotion needs wrestlers like Anthony Henry. Whether it's on the Indy scene or in a major company like AEW, Henry is always ready to perform at the highest level.