Poker Scout sent along the following highlights of their new interview with WWE Hall of Fame legend “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry:
Chad Gable Is A Future World Champion, He’s Special
Despite calling him a liar, Mark Henry is adamant that ‘special’ Chad Gable will be a future world champion;
Mark Henry: “Golly, Chad Gable. He is such a liar and he makes you want to watch him. And when you talk about Chad Gable, I would put him in the top 10 of the most athletic and strongest guys in WWE pound for pound. Like he’s special, but he is a butthole. I can see him being a world champion. I think that his destiny is just that he will be a world champion one day. I don’t know what his play is or what’s next for him. But I’m sure that WrestleMania will tell us a lot. So we just have to hang on and wait!”
I Wanted To Retire, But Vince Made Me Sign Three-Year Deal
One of Henry’s most iconic heel runs was his Hall of Pain era and he said that Vince McMahon made him do it, refusing to let him retire;
MH: “I was ready to retire and I wanted to retire and be able to go home and spend more time with my family. And Vince just said, ‘man, you’re still too young. You can’t retire now, there is a lot left in the tank, you need to reconsider.’ So we spoke for probably another hour of him trying to get me not to pack it up and go home. I ended up walking out of there with a three-year deal to keep wrestling and that’s when everything changed and then me attacking John Cena started. So there was a lot to say and Vince just knew that it would be a good deal because I had been telling people for a year that I was retiring.”
Fanatics Made Me Lose Money, That’s Why I Returned To WWE
Action figure makers Fanatics are the reason Henry returned to the WWE recently, with ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ revealing they caused him to lose out on money;
MH: “There were a couple of times in the last year and two years actually where I was booked for appearances. But then I was pulled off those appearances because of Fanatics. The company Fanatics, they only wanted talent that were with WWE and I was not a member/employee or connected so they pulled me from these appearances and they were big money appearances. So I lost money because I was not with the company. So we went to the negotiation table and here I am.”
I’ll Blast AEW If They Start Talking About My Business!
After spending three years in AEW, Henry decided against extending his contract in May 2024 and said he will BLAST them if they talk about him;
MH: “You know what? I had a good time at AEW despite the fact there were a couple of incidents that I won’t talk about unless they start talking about it. If they start talking about it, then I’m going to blast them because those were issues that related to me leaving. But, nonetheless, I met a lot of really cool people, some unbelievable talent. And I have a lot of respect for people in that organization and I wish them well.”
There Is No Limit For ‘Elite’ Will Ospreay
British AEW star Will Ospreay continues to impress in the ring and Henry had kind words for the 31-year-old;
MH: “There is no limit (to how far he can go). He’s one of the elite of the elite wrestlers in the world, and I have a lot of respect for him. And as good as he is, he still asks questions. He’s humble and respectful and I like that more than him being a great wrestler.”
Stone Cold vs Kevin Owens Is My Dream WrestleMania Booking!
When prompted what his dream WrestleMania match booking would be, Henry nominated Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kevin Owens to go face-to-face;
MH: “I really would’ve liked to see Stone Cold Steve Austin come back. And unfortunately it wouldn’t happen because of injury, but I would’ve liked to see him and Kevin Owens go at it because with the stunner and Kevin kind of doing Stone Cold Steve Austin-esque things. I would think that it would be pretty cool for them to get in a verbal war that would culminate in Stone Cold and him having a match at WrestleMania.”
The Nation Of Domination Deserve To Be Hall Of Famers!
Henry was a key member of The Nation of Domination alongside D’Lo Brown and others in the late ‘90s and he is adamant they should be inducted into the Hall of Fame;
MH: “I had so much fun with D’Lo. I learned so much. D’Lo is a good teacher, and D’Lo also should be in the Hall of Fame. The Nation of Domination should be in the Hall of Fame. There are people that have went in the Hall of Fame over the last three to four years and I think, ‘Really man, and the Nation of Domination is not in?’ Come on, do the right thing and put D’Lo and the Nation of Domination in the Hall of Fame!”
I Don’t Care If Hulk Hogan Disliked DJ Antics!
Hulk Hogan has turned into quite the controversial character since retiring from wrestling and Henry admits they always got on well together, but doesn’t care if his DJ antics upset him;
MH: “I don’t expect him to say anything, and I don’t care whether he likes it or not. I’m an entertainer and whenever I play DJ and I play wrestling theme music, I mix it with modern music and the crowd loves it. And whenever I play Hulk Hogan, they boo. I didn’t start it! Terry (Hulk Hogan) was always nice to me. He never treated me with disrespect. I never saw any racist acts, like he never came across as a bad human until long after he was done wrestling.”
My Weight Lifting Background Allowed Me To Be Mark Henry
Being an Olympian and US National Champion powerlifter, Henry feels that’s what made his character so genuine;
MH: “Just being big and strong, I knew that I could absorb other people’s energy. If you run me full force, I know that I’m gonna stop you. There’s nothing that you can do. You can dive from 10-15 feet in the air. I’m going to catch you, my power and my strength through my weight lifting, made The World’s Strongest Man. Like Mark Henry was not something that was made up. I was the genuine article, as real as they come and proved it multiple times. So I love being me.”
I Wouldn’t Be Here If It Wasn’t For Wrestling, Just Like CM Punk
CM Punk has said in the past that if it wasn’t for wrestling, he’d either be dead or in jail and Henry agrees with him, feeling the same;
MH: “I feel the same way. Like there was a time when I was a young man, I didn’t like being told what to do and I would fight people and my mother told me like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna be dead or in jail with that mentality and that attitude.’ And I grew up and I changed just like CM Punk did. He is a great entertainer that is complicated and complicated doesn’t mean bad. Complicated means that he’s not for everybody. I’m a little complicated. I’m not for everybody.”
My Son Will Be In A WWE Ring Within The Next Three Years!
It’s well known that Mark’s son Jacob is training to be a pro wrestler, and the Hall of Famer reveals a three-year plan, but rules out a tag-team match;
MH: “Jacob’s ultimate goal was to play football at the University of Oklahoma anyway, and that’s what he’s doing. And after his college career, he said, ‘dad, I’m not really concerned with making the pros. If I do, then I just kinda have to go do it. But my passion is wrestling and I want to be a pro wrestler.’ And I was like, ‘all right, we’ll start getting you trained.’ So during the off season, there’s a couple of guys lined up that wanna put him through the paces. I would think like three years before he was full time. Hell no (I won’t be his tag partner). If somebody asks me, I’ll call the police!”
Check out the complete interview by clicking here.
