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What’s the story?
In a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, former WWE World Champion Mark Henry discussed his upcoming WWE Hall of Fame induction, his infamous “retirement” speech from on an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2013, and more.
In case you didn’t know…
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry has seemingly retired from in-ring competition after serving for the WWE for well over two decades. Henry’s last match in WWE took place during Wrestlemania 33 when he competed at the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal match and the former World’s Strongest Man has also previously held numerous titles such as the ECW and WWE European Championships.
The heart of the matter
While conversing with Busted Open Radio, Henry spoke about a host of topics and below are a few highlights from the interview:
On his Hall of Fame induction:
Mark Henry claimed that being inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame Class is indeed an unbelievable feeling and according to the former ECW Champion, his love for wrestling is what made him into the superstar he is today.
The former World’s Strongest Man, in addition, stated that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon initially realized about his potential towards the wrestling industry when Mark Henry himself seemingly claimed on Oprah that he liked to practice the art of wrestling during his spare time.
“I was the fan. Everybody out there that listens to this show, and programs like this one, that spends their last dime, or says ‘I’m not going to be able to buy lunch tomorrow, I’m going to go buy a wrestling ticket.’ Like that guy, that was me. I think that it was only fitting that somebody like me actually gets to be in this situation and to be able to tell every one of those fans that you aren’t alone, and you’re doing the right thing. Everybody that looks at you as being weird or not the popular thing to do—they’re the ones that are wrong.”
On his 2013 “retirement” speech:
According to Henry, his 2013 “retirement” angle and speech certainly ranks as one his best career performances of all time-- as far as getting the WWE Universe is concerned.
Henry noted that his initial plans were to actually retire from the wrestling industry, but, apparently, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon urged the former World Champion to stick around for a while after considering the fact that Henry is truly one of the most experienced veterans and still had a lot to offer to the business.
“I had said I was going to retire and I was tired for so long that it had even got to him [Vince McMahon]. And he was like ‘What’s the deal?’ He was like ‘You really want to go?’ And I was like ‘yeah, I’m hurting.’ and he said [I] could do so much more, especially now. That’s the genius of Vince. He can just see stuff that you can’t see.”
What’s next?
The 2018 Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on the 6th of April in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Smoothie King Center.
Author’s Take
Mark Henry is one of the most experienced pro wrestlers of all time and has also helped a lot of wrestlers get into the WWE. He certainly deserves his place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
