Mark Henry Reveals He Took a Pay Cut to Join AEW

Mark Henry’s debut at the AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in 2021 obviously drew tons of attention. He is no longer part of the AEW family and has now revealed that he took a pay cut to join the company.

The World’s Strongest Man previously confirmed he would not be re-signing with Tony Khan’s company and since then, he made a shocking appearance at MLW’s Battle Riot VI event and then on the August 12th edition of Monday Night RAW.

While speaking with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas on their Huge Pop podcast, Mark Henry revealed that he took a pay cut to work at AEW because he wanted to gain experience as an executive and help the company and its talent grow. While he enjoyed working with the wrestlers and providing advice, he acknowledged that there were some “bad apples” within the company who needed discipline, something he feels was lacking during his tenure.

”I took a pay cut to go work at AEW. Don’t get it twisted. I went there because I wanted to get experience being an executive and I wanted to help that company flourish and help those people that were over there be better than they were and you ask the talent, did Mark Henry try to help you? Hell yes. All the time. He would come and tell me this and I would try it and they would come and, ‘Man! That was good! Thank you.’ That’s what I was working for. I was working for those high fives from guys and girls coming back and then there’s some bad apples and the bad apples have to be disciplined. Oh, they’re disciplining people now. But nobody wasn’t getting suspended or disciplined when I was there. I don’t remember.”

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Henry noted that one of the benefits was obtaining corporate insurance, which significantly reduced his monthly insurance costs. He mentioned that despite the pay cut, the value of having corporate insurance, especially given his family’s size and health needs, made the decision worthwhile.

”While, when I said I took a pay cut to go to AEW, the best part of it was the insurance. Having corporate insurance, and I didn’t have to pay the maximum amount anymore. Because with my weight and the size in my family, I was paying over $4,000 a month on insurance alone. When I say I took a pay cut, I mean I could have a $40,000 month easily. God has really blessed me, and I got irons in the fire that well superseded what I was making there. So I’m not bitter at all.”

The World’s Strongest Man also felt sense of abandonment after his AEW exit. Nevertheless, we’ll have to see whether AEW will be able to improve their management, as they definitely have room for improvement.

What’s your view on Mark Henry taking a pay cut to join AEW? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!