AJ Styles Reached Out To Mark Henry After Fake Retirement on 5/31 WWE SmackDown

The Phenomenal AJ Styles teased his retirement on the May 31 episode of WWE SmackDown. However, it was nothing but a ruse to lure his rival, the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, to the ring to launch a vicious assault.

Despite the cameras stopping rolling, Styles continued to attack The American Nightmare. However, the twist many fans of the classic segment in which Mark Henry did the same thing to then-WWE Champion John Cena in 2013.

In a recent interview with Fightful Select, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked about the fans paying respect to his fake retirement after seeing Styles’ segment. Mark Henry expressed his immense pride when he saw others honor him.

He shared a particularly touching moment when AJ Styles sent him a text message. This gesture brought tears to Henry’s eyes, and he noted that having such an impact on people can sometimes feel more gratifying than performing the actions himself. The emotional response it evoked in him was incredibly special.

“I loved it. I feel a sense of pride when I’m being honored, and WrestleMania, Bianca Belair did a Mark Henry spot and walked up the steps and pressed her opponent into the ring. Whenever people do stuff like that, Braun Strowman did it several times, I just feel a sense of accomplishment. You feel like a proud papa, and I got a text message from AJ Styles saying, ‘Man, I hope I made you proud.’ It made my eyes well up. So having an effect on people, it’s sometimes greater than you doing it yourself. I don’t know if I explained that properly. I felt in my heart enough to make me tear up, so that was pretty damn special.” 

According to recent reports, WWE has plans for the next chapter in the feud between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. Moreover, Rhodes is expected to address the attack by Styles on tonight’s edition of SmackDown, so it will be interesting to see how things move forward.

What are your thoughts on AJ Styles reaching out to Mark Henry after the fake retirement segment on SmackDown last week? Sound off in the comments!