WWE Hall of Famer and new AEW commentator, coach, and possible in-ring talent Mark Henry spoke about his decision to join AEW on the latest edition of his Busted Open Radio program, revealing that he always wanted a position as an executive and even wrote Vince McMahon a proposal. Highlights are below.
Why he left WWE:
“My deal was up. This is not something that was recent. I go back to five months, six months. I wanted a position in the office and I wanted everything that comes with it.”
Says he wanted an executive position and even wrote Vince a proposal:
“I talked to Vince himself. He said, ‘Write it up. You’re somebody that I’ll hear from and listen to.’ I was told that there was a lot of cleaning house and there were a lot of cuts that were happening and there were a lot to come. I’ve seen hundreds of people in the company go. I still felt like, knowing this, I feel valuable enough that I’m not going anywhere. Well that’s cool. But, when your deal comes up, and the rights, the legalities part of it, come up to where are you going to go next and what are you going to do, I felt like I wanted to do more. I always wanted to do more. You know me. I’m a busy body. If I’m not doing what I know I can do, especially if I think I can do it better than somebody else, and I can’t get that opportunity, then I have to start looking for that opportunity somewhere else, and I did.”
On his loyalty:
“Nobody will ever say, ‘Mark Henry is unloyal.’ I’ve been loyal. There were times I was offered more money and I didn’t leave. 25 years with the same company, through the good, through the bad. I was there. Everything wasn’t perfect. What family has a perfect existence? Not very many, but mine was really good. I had a good experience. I learned a lot. I spent more time in the production office and in the trucks than I did around the ring and in catering. I always joke about being in catering and all that, but man, I always had an executive mindset.”
(H/T and transcribed by Wrestling News)
