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Moments ago, on this week's edition of Friday Night Smackdown, a WWE Superstar just pulled off a move all too similar to something Mark Henry did a few years back. Fans immediately noticed the reference and had things to say about it.
Earlier tonight, AJ Styles was hinting at a final decision for his career, as he teased retirement. He was given a chance to speak about this in the ring, where he mentioned shifting from The Phenomenal One to a Phenomenal Father instead and ending his in-ring career. Cody Rhodes joined him in the ring to honor him, but instead, this was a swerve as he attacked the world champion moments later.
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Fans mentioned how this was an exact reenactment of Mark Henry's fake retirement move back in 2013 which came at the expense of John Cena, who was the WWE Champion at the time. Everything from his promo to the buildup was very similar.
"WORD FOR WORD, BAR FOR BAR!!!!!" a fan commented.
"Daddy's comin' home!' Yeah, not exactly," one mentioned.
Some fans mentioned how the veteran could be proudly watching this from home, seeing Styles do him justice by referencing one of his most iconic segments. One fan even mentioned how coincidentally this comes at a time where the Hall of Famer did not renew his AEW contract.
"Mark Henry just shed a tear watching this at home!" a fan commented.
"Funny how this happens the same week that Mark Henry's contract expires," one realized.
Tony Khan praised Mark Henry ahead of his contract expiry
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that The World Strongest Man's contract with AEW was set to expire within the month. After signing with the promotion back in 2021, Henry served as a coach, a backstage announcer, and a commentator occasionally for AEW Rampage. He never stepped foot in the ring in his time with them.
During the media call ahead of Double or Nothing a few days ago, Tony Khan addressed the contract status of Mark Henry. He was full of praise for the Hall of Famer as he talked about how he'll see how things go.
"I really like Mark," said Khan. "We have to look at that internally. I think Mark is a great person; I personally really like him. He's a great media personality, a great wrestler, and a great philanthropist. I have a ton of respect for him and he's been great in AEW. I have respect for him in and out of the ring."
In the end, Henry did not renew his contract with the company and it remains to be seen whether he'll go on to explore other options, or focus on other endeavors without being signed to a promotion.
