"Zero Apologies" - WWE legend Mark Henry refuses to say sorry

Mark Henry has doubled down on his defense of Raja Jackson after his earlier comments. Last weekend, Raja, the son of former UFC fighter Rampage Jackson, was at a KnokX Pro Wrestling event. During a planned spot, Raja jumped into the ring and took down wrestler Syko Stu. However, things got out of hand as he landed a series of punches on Stu, leaving him unconscious.

The two had an interaction before the event, where Stu hit Raja in the head with a beer can. Raja was then supposed to get payback in the ring, but ended up hospitalizing Stu.

This led to severe backlash against the MMA fighter, but he found some support from WWE legend Mark Henry. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Henry mentioned that, being a veteran, Stu should take some of the blame over what happened and that he mishandled the situation.

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion received criticism for his comments, but he is not budging. In an interview on Austin’s 1300 The Zone radio station, he clarified his stance.

"I just want to go on record as saying I’m making zero apologies for what I said. I meant every word. Every single word I meant. You have to be responsible on both sides. The WWE is where they are because they do great business, because they smarten everybody up. And when people go off script, they get fined, they get suspended, they get sent away. Until you know better, you can’t be on our program. And I don’t work for them. I just respect the business. So all of you fans out there that have these racist tendencies and all the vitriol for me, have at it. You can’t hurt me. I’m bulletproof. I’m The World’s Strongest Man. And that’s my statement," Mark Henry said.

You can watch the video below.

Henry said that the people calling him a racist online are ignorant and called it "bullying."

Mark Henry said the blame lies with the veterans on the show

During the interview, Mark Henry doubled down on his defense of Raja Jackson, saying that the veterans on the show failed to guide him properly.

"You got guys that are veterans, or so-called veterans, these guys, they could have very easily smartened him up, which is another wrestling term where you say, ‘I’m going to tell you everything there is to do. I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do so you’ll be prepared. Okay, all right, everybody’s on the same page.’ That didn’t happen. You got these veteran guys drinking alcohol before the show, and then they come out there and hit one of the kids upside the head with a beer can. He’s supposed to understand and process all this information? No, it’s not going to happen," he said.

Mark Henry also said he doesn't condone Raja's actions and that Syko Stu didn't deserve what happened to him.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Austin’s 1300 The Zone and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik