Mark Henry has signed with All Elite Wrestling, ending his run with WWE at more than 25 years.
In an appearance on Busted Open, Henry described his decision to leave. He stated that he wanted an office job, and he wasn’t happy with the opportunities he was getting with this role in WWE.
“My deal was up, and this is not something that was recent, you know, I go back to five months, six months,” said Henry. “I [knew I] wanted a position in office. And I want everything that comes with it, and I talked with Vince himself and he said, ‘Write it up.’
“He’s like, you know, ‘You’re somebody that I’ll hear from, I’ll listen to.’ And I was told that there was a lot of cleaning house, and there was a lot of cuts that were happening, and there were a lot to come. And I’ve seen hundreds of people in the company go, and I still felt like well, knowing this, I feel valuable enough that I’m not going anywhere. Well that’s cool. But when your deal comes up, and the rights, the legality part of it comes up to where you gonna go next, and what [are you] gonna do? I felt like I wanted to do more, I always wanted to do more.’
Henry described how he’s a “busybody”, and when he felt like he could do better than the people who were above him, he knew it was time to look for that opportunity somewhere else.
“The World’s Strongest Man” then recalled the conversation in which he told the chairman that he was leaving. Henry described how the conversation was positive, as McMahon expressed his confidence in Henry’s ability to thrive elsewhere.
“It wasn’t negative,” said Henry. “You know, everybody knows me and Vince got love for each other. And more than love, respect. And me calling him and saying what needed to be said came from a place of like a brother telling his older brother ‘Man, I’m tired of being in the shadows.’ Like, ‘I feel like somebody beneath you is holding me back. And if somebody is holding me back, I gotta go.’
“I feel like I’m being held back, I’m not getting what I want and I wanted to be successful. I wanted to be able to earn more. It was just like the coolest thing. He’s like, ‘Man you know everything you need to know. If you feel like you have to go, I don’t necessarily want it, but if you feel like you need to go, then go. I know you’re gonna be successful.”
Looking back on his WWE run, Henry reflected and called it a “really good experience” that allowed him to learn a lot. Now, Henry will use that knowledge to help AEW.
"If I'm not doing what I know I can do…then I have to start looking for that opportunity somewhere else & I did."@TheMarkHenry discusses his decision to sign with @AEW & the conversation he had with Vince McMahon ?@davidlagreca1 @bullyray5150 #AEWDynamite #DoubleOrNothing pic.twitter.com/UR6F2mM4mY
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 1, 2021
RELATED: AEW Announces WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry’s Multi-Year Contract
