"I felt a sense of abandonment" - WWE Hall of Famer reveals the most disappointing part about his AEW run

Multiple WWE Hall of Famers have made their way through to AEW thus far, but one recently departed the Jacksonville-based promotion. The legendary star has now revealed the biggest disappointment from his time in All Elite Wrestling.

Mark Henry joined Tony Khan's promotion back in May of 2021, signing a three-year contract. The WWE legend decided not to re-sign this year, and he's now a free agent. Henry has been working on his own projects since leaving AEW, including his Strong Kids training program.

Alfred Konuwa spoke to The World's Strongest Man for Forbes. When asked about the most disappointing aspect of his AEW run, Henry revealed that he would have liked more time with the wrestlers he was mentoring backstage and that he felt a "sense of abandonment" when he left the company, feeling his work was not complete.

"My least-favorite, man, maybe that I didn't get to finish with all of the people that I was helping. I felt a sense of abandonment when I left. There's still people that I mentor and talk to, they call me every day, but then there's some that I started and I didn't finish and it just kills me to not be able to have an impact on their life," said Henry.

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Former AEW star Mark Henry is open to a WWE return under certain conditions

Mark Henry officially retired from in-ring competition following WrestleMania 33 in 2017. Since then, he's primarily worked backstage as a coach, producer, and talent scout.

Henry found a niche in AEW as an interviewer on Rampage, where his catchphrase, "It's time for the main event!" caught on with fans. The World's Strongest Man has proven himself to be multitalented, and many fans have wondered if he could find his way back to WWE in the near future.

In a recent interview with Joey Karni on The Angle, Henry addressed the possibility of signing with WWE again and said it was not out of the question. However, he also has plenty of other things he wants to do, and he doesn't want to give them up at the moment.

"You know what, I’m open to it, but I feel completed. I don’t want to sign with somebody else to not be able to do what I want to do," he said.

At 53 years old, Mark Henry still has plenty to offer to the wrestling industry. Although he's keeping busy for now, he might continue to mentor young talent who seek his advice.

About the author

Jacob is an AEW contributor and editor at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He has edited and published over 8,000 articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling in just over two years, and subsequently donned the hat of a contributor, demonstrating his commitment to continuous learning. His experience goes beyond wrestling, with five years as an editor for several independent publishing houses and three years as a captioning specialist.

Jacob's first memory of pro wrestling dates back to Sting vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship at Great American Bash 1990. He later began writing for a newsletter and blog at the University of North Texas, and his love of wrestling naturally led him to seek opportunities in the media.

His favorite wrestler is The Icon, as he feels Sting has evolved throughout his career on a parallel path with his own growth as a person. He was Jacob's childhood hero and teenage idol, and now he makes him less afraid of getting older.

Jacob ensures relevance and accuracy in his articles by working hard to maintain his ideals and objectivity without sacrificing his unique voice, inspiring other writers in the section to follow suit.

Jacob’s non-wrestling interests include Anime, video games, and fantasy novels.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi