He has a slew of big bookings and intriguing matches already on his calendar.
Anthony Greene is back on the indies.
The New England native made his return to the ring Saturday at the Limitless Wrestling show in Yarmouth, Maine, surprising the crowd as Daniel Garcia’s mystery opponent in the main event.
“It was the first and only time I’ve almost broken into tears from the crowd’s reaction,” Greene says. “This was my first match back, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I gave these fans a great performance.”
When Greene was released by WWE in June, he made a statement expressing gratitude for his time there and laying out his heady ambitions moving forward. He closed that message by writing “Reliable to UNDENIABLE,” so it was fitting that he reappeared at Limitless’s Undeniable show.
“I have a lot of places I call home, and Limitless Wrestling is definitely No. 1 on that list,” Greene says. “It’s the place that gave me my first real opportunity to shine. They threw me in the ring with Paul London, Warbeard Hanson [WWE’s Ivar], and AR Fox. [Limitless owner] Randy Carver trusted me, and he was the first person to give me that first real push as Limitless Wrestling champion.”
https://twitter.com/LWMaine/status/1422199011780485123
Greene enjoyed a 397-day run as Limitless champ before signing with WWE in 2020, where he worked as August Grey. The title was vacated when he left, so it was especially meaningful for him to work with reigning champ Garcia in his return bout.
“I never got to do anyone the favor on the way out, so I thought it was so important I came back to do things the right way,” says Greene, who won the match via disqualification, extending his feud with Garcia. “Garcia is a cardio machine. He can go, and he hits hard. He made me step up my game, and those are the wrestlers I want to work with every week. He brought the best out of me.
“It just felt so good to be back. The ring canvas is an art canvas. Independent wrestling is so unique, and there is no one telling you what you can or can’t do. I had a completely different match with Dan Garcia, physicality-wise, moment-wise, than what I was able to do in WWE.”
Only 27, Greene has unlimited potential. He is rapidly approaching his 10th year of experience, and he plans to take his newfound stature from his time in WWE and build on it on the indie circuit.
“I want to be everywhere,” Greene says. “I’m going to be at AIW in Cleveland, Ohio, which is a huge booking. I’m doing the OWA-Paradigm Heavy Hitters tournament, I’ll be at Limitless as often as I can and there is so much more. And I plan on going somewhere, whether it’s Ring of Honor or Major League Wrestling or Impact or NWA.
“I told myself early on that I was going to make it to WWE, and I did that. My life is wrestling, so now I’m now going to live my life wrestling. I’m going to wrestle Eddie Edwards. That means the world to me. I have the opportunity to wrestle the best out there, and I’m going to show the world the star that I am.”
Greene now has the chance to reinvent himself and further evolve. He believes he possesses what it takes to redefine the wrestling industry on its most grassroots level in the indies.
“Coming back to Limitless, it felt like a reunion. It felt like a party,” Greene says. “I have a lot to prove, and I’m so excited to be back.”
More Wrestling Coverage:
- WWE Releases Bray Wyatt
- Rey Mysterio: My Mask ‘Represents My Whole Life Journey’
- CM Punk’s Return Seems Imminent in AEW
- Bronson Reed Begins NXT Title Chase
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.