Adebayo Akinfenwa is making moves in PROGRESS Wrestling (Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Adebayo Akinfenwa is set to make his pro wrestling debut later this month after retiring from football in May.
The 40-year-old former Wycombe Wanderers forward hung up his boots at the end of last season and is now swapping the football pitch for the ring in PROGRESS Wrestling as he accompanies Anthony Ogogo for his match with Mailk on October 23.
It’s unclear just how physical Akinfenwa – who previously held talks with WWE -will get with his big debut, but he’s claimed he’ll have Ogogo’s back and he’s looking to chase his wrestling dream.
He told MailOnline: ‘I was always asked when I was coming to retirement what I was looking to do and the response was always new experiences. I was lucky enough to do the thing I love for 22 years but it was a profession. When you retire, it’s just freedom and experiences.
‘It’s always been in the background because of my love for wrestling. I’ve known Anthony Ogogo for a while, years. We came across each other when he was a boxer and stayed in contact and the wrestling thing never went away.’
The pair will join forces at PROGRESS Chapter 145 – Wrestling Witch Face – Trick or Treat at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, and Akinfenwa is ready to step up to help the boxer turned All Elite Wresting star.
Akinfenwa will be part of PROGRESS Wrestling’s show on October 23 (Picture: PROGRESS Wrestling)
Anthony Ogogo has made the jump to wrestling (Picture: AEW)
‘No matter how techy it gets, me and Ogogo will be there, so any way it goes, we will handle it,’ he added.
He did some training with WWE superstar Sheamus before the company’s huge Clash At The Castle show last month at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and he admitted it’s harder than football.
He said: ‘I tried it, and I ain’t going to lie, it hurts. Anybody that watched me play football knows that when I went down it took me a while to get up, and it takes me even longer to get up in wrestling when I try to move.
‘The training is training, but there are different body things that hurt. Normally I’m the person that pushes people on the floor, but I’m finding myself going on the floor a lot more now. I enjoy my weights, I still do the bike.’
When it comes to the future, he’s not ruling out a career in wrestling, but he’ll take things one step at a time.
‘Depending on how the process goes, I’ll always say you can only take it a step at a time and that’s what I want to do,’ he explained. ‘If it’s the longevity I’m all for it, and if it’s one wrestling match and hopefully one win then so be it.’
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