Anthony Henry, born on December 25, 1983, is a well-traveled veteran of the professional wrestling industry. Since the early 2000s, the Augusta, GA native has appeared for a number of promotions, including NWA territories, Evolve, WWN, and even had a stint with the WWE, appearing on NXT and 205 Live between April and August of 2021. He is best known for his work in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
Since being released from the WWE in one of their infamous rounds of “budget cuts”, Henry has continued to impress on the indies, earning a spot on AEW Dark against Eddie Kingston. He is known for his work in independent promotions including Evolve, World Wrestling Network (WWN), Full Impact Pro (FIP), Premiere Wrestling Xperience (PWX), National Wrestling Alliance territories, Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE) promotions and Deadlock Pro-Wrestling (DPW), where he is a three-time NWA/APW (Alternative Pro Wrestling) North Georgia Champion, one-time Evolve Tag Team Champion, one-time FIP World Heavyweight Champion, one-time PWX Heavyweight Champion, and one-time DPW Worlds Tag Team Champion.
Early Career and Independent Circuit
Henry debuted on May 5, 2012, at Premiere Wrestling Xperience's PWX Queen City Chaos, losing a singles match against Drew Myers. He returned two years later on February 15, 2014, at Rise Of A Champion IX, where he competed in a Three-Way No. 1 Contendership match for the PWX Innovative Television Championship, but lost to Lance Lude.
On March 15 at Enemy Territory: Dawn Of A New Day, Henry teamed with Billy Brash to challenge reigning champions team Los Ben Dejos for the PWX Tag Team Championship but did not succeed in winning the titles. He did not receive any further title opportunities in PWX during the course of 2014 and 2015. On June 18 at Xpect Everything, Henry competed in a Four-Way Elimination match won by John Skyler against Henry, Corey Hollis and the reigning champion Sami Callihan for the PWX Heavyweight Champion.
During a two-night event first held on November 19, Henry competed in the 2016 X 16 Tournament. He would go on to defeat Martin Stone, Trevor Lee, Zack Sabre Jr., and Ethan Case to become the winner of the 2016 X 16 Tournament. During his return the following year on February 19, 2017, Henry wrestled at Rise Of A Champion XII, defeating the reigning champion Jake Manning to become the new PWX Heavyweight Champion, marking his first title reign. He successfully retained the title for the course of the time he remained in PWX, wrestling his final match of the year on October 21 at PWX Unsanctioned, defeating his challenger Fred Yehi.
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The following year on March 25, 2018 at Rise Of A Champion XIII, Henry competed in a Three-Way match during which he lost the Heavyweight Championship against JD Drake and Ethan Case.
AWE and The WorkHorsemen
Henry debuted on August 7, 2016 at AWE The Summer Of George event, defeating Jimmy Rave. The following year on July 30, 2017 at the Season 3 Finale event, Henry and JD Drake reunited, rebranding their team name as The WorkHorsemen. They competed in a Tag Team Title Four-Way match for the AWE Tag Team Championship against Evan Gelistico and Gary Jay) defeat The Gym Nasty Boyz: (Timmy Lou Retton & White Mike) and Kerry Awful and Nick Iggy.
The following year on June 8, 2018 at Red Wedding, The WorkHorsemen defeated the reigning champions Gelistico and Jay to win the AWE Tag Team Championship for the first time.
World Wrestling Network (WWN) and EVOLVE
After signing with the World Wrestling Network, Henry made his first match appearance on October 15, 2016 at Evolve 70, where he lost to Darby Allin. On July 28, 2017 at Evolve 88, Henry and Drake defeated team Catch Point (Chris Dickinson and Jaka) to win the Evolve Tag Team Championship for the first time. Two months later on September 22 at Evolve 92, Henry & Drake lost the Tag Team titles to A. C. H. and Ethan Page.
Three months later on December 9 at Evolve 96, Henry and Drake challenged team Catch Point (Jaka and Tracy Williams) for the Evolve Tag Team Championship but did not succeed in winning the titles. Henry & Drake's next Tag Team title opportunity was held on April 5, 2018 at Evolve 102, where they competed in a Four-Way Tag Team Scramble match. On May 20 at Evolve 105, Henry & Drake returned to their team name The WorkHorsemen, challenging the reigning Evolve Tag Team Champions team Catch Point, but did not succeed in winning the titles.
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On October 28 at Evolve 114, Henry competed in a Six-Way Ladder Match for the WWN Championship, ending with his tag team partner JD Drake winning the match. On November 9 at Evolve 115, The WorkHorsemen had the rare opportunity to compete against WWE talent, as they wrestled the guest tag team from WWE NXT and reigning champions the Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) for the Evolve Tag Team Championship, but did not succeed in winning the Tag Team titles.
Full Impact Pro (FIP)
Henry first appeared on January 8, 2017 at FIP Everything Burns 2017 in a Contract Prize match, eventually won by Teddy Stigma. He finished his debut year on June 17 at FIP In Full Force 2017, defeating Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Returning on May 25, 2018 at FIP Ascension 2018, Henry challenged reigning champion Austin Theory for the FIP World Heavyweight Championship but did not succeed in winning the title.
Four months later on September 30 at FIP Accelerate 2018, Henry defeated Theory in a title rematch to win the FIP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. He successfully defended the title on November 30 at FIP Full Force 2018, defeating A. R. Fox.
WWE NXT and 205 Live
On January 19, 2021, it was reported that he had signed a contract with WWE and would be reporting to the WWE Performance Center. On the May 4 episode of NXT, Henry made his TV debut under the new ring name of Asher Hale, in a losing effort to Cameron Grimes. Hale also made his 205 Live debut on the May 14 episode, defeating Ariya Daivari.
The following week, he lost against Ari Sterling. The week after, he upset veteran Tony Nese, making him tap out. Hale continued to wrestle through the months on 205 Live, making his last appearance on the July 30 episode in a losing effort to Drake Maverick.
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He was released on August 6, 2021, marking a brief but memorable stint in WWE.
Return to the Independents and AEW
Since his release from WWE, Anthony Henry has continued to make waves on the independent scene. He also earned a spot on AEW Dark against Eddie Kingston, showcasing his skills on a larger stage.
On September 24 Henry appeared in ACTION Wrestling's Acting Accordingly event winning a singles match against Merc. On September 25, Henry reunited with Workhorsemen teammate JD Drake at Limitless Wrestling's Euphoria television event defeating Aiden Aggro & The DangerKid. On October 2, Henry returned to Premiere Wrestling Xperience at PWX All Hail The King, in a match against Minoru Suzuki.
Future Aspirations
When asked about his bucket list of opponents, Henry mentioned Daniel Garcia, Lee Moriarty, and Josh Alexander as potential matchups he'd like to see happen.
Looking ahead, Henry and JD Drake are focused on making The WorkHorsemen a prominent force in as many promotions as possible. They believe their teamwork elevates them to another level, and they are eager to showcase their skills to fans.
Limitless Wrestling "Prized Possession" FULL SHOW: Alec Price, Jake Something, B3CCA, Anthony Greene
Words of Wisdom
Henry emphasizes the importance of hard work and perseverance. He and Drake have earned everything they have achieved through dedication and a refusal to quit. They aim to inspire fans by demonstrating that hard work pays off for those who are too stubborn to give up.
In a recent interview, Henry shared his perspective on the wrestling industry, noting its cyclical nature and the growth of independent wrestling. "When I started, independent wrestling was not that big of a thing. Independent wrestling has grown to the point that we can make good money without being signed to a contract somewhere. I think that the growth will continue in the future. Wrestling comes in peaks and valleys and we are approaching another peak."
Henry's journey is a testament to his passion, resilience, and commitment to the wrestling business.