Mark Henry Reveals Conversation With Vince McMahon Before Signing With AEW

Mark Henry wanted to contribute more to the pro wrestling industry and he left WWE to do that in AEW. His Double or Nothing debut for the company will be followed by years of contributing. That is something he wanted to do with WWE and he even spoke to Vince McMahon about it.

While speaking about his AEW arrival on Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry revealed that he spoke to Vince McMahon about having a role backstage in the company. It seemed like McMahon was good to go with that idea, but impending cuts stopped that from happening.

Henry then revealed a conversation he had with Vince McMahon about his decision to leave for AEW. There is respect between them to this day.

“My deal was up. It’s not something that was recent. I can go back five or six months and I wanted a position in the [WWE] office. I talked to Vince himself and he said, ‘write it up. You’re somebody I’ll listen to.’ I was told that there was a lot of cleaning house and cuts that were happening and there were a lot to come. I had seen hundreds in the company go. I felt valuable enough that I wasn’t going anywhere. When your deal comes up and the rights come up as to where you’re gonna go next, I wanted to do more. I always want to do more. If I can’t get that opportunity, I have to look for that opportunity somewhere else.”

Advertising

Advertising

“It wasn’t negative. Vince and I have love for each other. More than love, respect. Me calling him and saying him what need to be said, came from a place of a brother telling his older brother, ‘I’m tired of being in shadows. I feel like someone beneath you is holding me back. if someone is holding me back, I have to go.’ I feel like I was being held back and not getting what I want, and I want to be successful and earn more. [Vince said,] ‘You know everything you need to know. If you feel like you need to go, I don’t necessarily want it, but if you need to go then go. I know you’ll be successful.’ That’s what you want. I’m not going to run from a conversation like that. Nobody will say Mark Henry is unloyal. There were times I was offered more money and didn’t leave. Everything wasn’t perfect, but what family is perfect? I had a good experience and learned a lot. I spent more time in production and the trucks than I did around the ring and in catering. I always had an executive mindset.”

Mark Henry wants to wrestle again as well. We will have to see if that happens in AEW. He will contribute as an analyst on AEW Rampage, coming on August 13th. We will have to see what is in the World Strongest Man’s future from there.

What do you think about Mark Henry’s jump to AEW? Sound off in the comments!