Anthony Henry Reveals How Long After His WWE Release AEW Contacted Him

When Anthony Henry was let go by WWE in August 2021, he didn't have to wait long for his next opportunity to emerge. In an exclusive interview with Wrestling Inc., he recalled that his phone was ringing shortly after the WWE door closed on him.

"As soon as the release happened, I say about two weeks afterwards, I got a message from a representative from AEW, and they were like, 'Hey, so when is your non-compete up?'" recalled Henry, whose brief WWE stint occurred under the name Asher Hale. "And with NXT contracts, you only had 30 days. So I was like, 'It's this date.' And they're like, 'Cool. Do you want to come do AEW? We're doing these new tapings' — the 'Dark' tapings — 'Do you want to come do the first ones?'"

Despite the prospect of getting back into wrestling after only two weeks of being unemployed, Henry did not immediately jump at the chance.

"I almost didn't know actually, because I was in the midst of moving because I'd already made the decision to get out of expensive Orlando, since I no longer had this guaranteed money coming in," he said. "But everybody who was helping me move, they're like, 'No, no. Go do that. We'll figure it out for you.'"

Henry made his AEW debut on the October 5, 2021, broadcast of "AEW Dark," with Eddie Kingston as his opponent. However, he wasn't immediately assured a permanent spot in the AEW, and he alternated between the company and indie wrestling leagues.

"And just since then, in and out, in and out, doing some tapings, doing stuff here and there," he said. "Then, finally, became a part of the full actual roster here recently. So it's been a good ride there, as well.