Tag: Mark Henry

Mark Henry on Royce Keys’ WWE debut: ‘He’s going to be a good one’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

After months of absence following his Royal Rumble debut, Royce Keys has finally made his WWE SmackDown debut.

On Friday, during the April 10th edition of SmackDown, Royce Keys made his WWE television debut in a dominant win over Berto.

Speaking on Busted Open, WWE legend Mark Henry opened up on Royce Keys’ SmackDown debut. And, while Henry heaped praise on Keys, he also pointed out a few “mistakes.”

“I enjoyed the Royce Keys segments. With the match, he stayed within himself; he stayed powerful. He made some mistakes in the sense that, if you’re going to hit somebody with something, follow it up with something.

Don’t get caught up in the crowd, wanting to wave at your friends in the front row and all of that, because you kicked him in the a**. He hasn’t had a problem with mentorship; There’s a few guys that I know are in his ear that I’ve watched talk to him. He’s going to be a good one, I can see it already.”

Later, in a backstage segment, Solo Sikoa offered his help to Keys, claiming that the door is always open for him.

Hoping to see Keys remain a solo act, Henry added, “I don’t think that Royce Keys should focus his attention on joining a clique, I think that he should try to be his own man right now. But when you’re your own man, you rub people that want you to be muscle for them the wrong way.”

Keys, formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs, was once heavily rumored to team up with Jelly Roll at WWE WrestleMania 42. However, with just days left for the PLE, current storylines do not suggest so.

Mark Henry: AEW and Tony Khan do ‘a good job with culture’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mark Henry believes AEW and Tony Khan do a good job acknowledging the wider wrestling culture.

On Dynamite last night, AEW took a moment to acknowledge former WWE director Kerwin Silfies, who passed away at 75 years old this week. Silfies played an important role in shaping the look of WWE programming dating back to the mid-1980s. He was never employed by AEW, but Tony Schiavone and Bryan Danielson shared their memories of working with Silfies in WWE during a brief tribute.

Bully Ray and Henry both commended AEW for the moment on Busted Open Radio this morning.

“Great job by AEW to acknowledge that, and I wanted to acknowledge that on the show today,” Bully Ray said.

“You know, AEW does a good job with culture,” Henry added. “With feelings, with things that matter to the family, that matter to the race, the sexuality, they do a good job with that. And acknowledgment of people that meant something to pro wrestling, Tony does a great job. You can’t argue with none of that.”

Henry, a WWE Hall of Famer, was signed to AEW from 2021-2024 as a coach and on-screen personality. He is now back under a Legends deal with WWE, and Henry’s son Jacob is part of WWE’s NIL program.

On social media yesterday, Paul “Triple H” Levesque shared a tribute to Silfies and expressed how much of an impact he made on WWE.

“Today, the @WWE family lost one of our beloved members. Kerwin Silfies was a huge part of the company’s programming since the mid-1980s,” Levesque wrote. “Over his 35+ year tenure with WWE production, he directed countless episodes of Raw and Smackdown, PLEs, and of course WrestleMania. With a dry wit and an unmatched passion for his work and his coworkers, Kerwin affected hundreds of employees and millions of fans. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.”

Mark Henry on Trick Williams: ‘He makes me want to wrestle again’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mark Henry says watching Trick Williams gets him so fired up that he feels like wrestling again.

Henry and Jonathan Coachman discussed Williams during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, with Henry saying he “talks the talk” and “walks the walk.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like coming back to wrestling,” Henry said. “This dude walking to the ring gets me fired up. He makes me want to wrestle again. That’s the effect that Trick had on me.”

When asked what he sees in Williams that brings out that reaction, Henry responded:

“It’s the energy and the smugness. Like, the dude’s got it. He talks the talk, he walks the walk, he’s got the look.”

Coach then mentioned Williams reminds him of an early version of The Rock, to which Henry agreed.

Williams has been placed in top WWE SmackDown storylines immediately upon becoming a full-time member of the roster. He defeated Rey Fenix on the January 9 episode from Berlin, beat Matt Cardona to qualify for the Saturday Night’s Main Event four-way on the January 16 show from London, and then headlined the January 23 show in Montreal against Damian Priest, in a bout that went to a no contest.

A clip of Henry talking about Williams is available below.

Hall of Famer lied about Bryan Danielson to get him signed by WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently recalled how he had lied about Bryan Danielson’s height to get him signed by the promotion.

Long before his run as a part of AEW, Danielson, known as Daniel Bryan, was one of the top names in WWE. Recently, speaking on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, Mark Henry opened up about how he had lied about Danielson’s height to get WWE’s attention toward him.

“I didn’t train Bryan Danielson, I just saw Bryan on TV and said ‘hey y’all need to get this dude,'” Henry noted. “Because I saw a match he had and I was like ‘this dude is as good as people we’ve got in WWE’.”

“And I lied, I told them he was like six feet tall because they wanted bigger guys, like 200 lbs, and Bryan’s 5′ 11” maybe. To have somebody that’s a Hall of Fame-calibre wrestler that you can hang your hat on is pretty damn cool.”

Initially signed on a developmental contract, Danielson stayed with WWE from 2000 to 2003, before returning in 2009 and 2010 and staying there till 2021.

Not wrestling anymore, Danielson currently performs as a commentator for All Elite Wrestling, with his last match dating back to a dark match on Collision against Max Caster on June 25th, 2025.

Mark Henry responds to backlash over Raja Jackson-Syko Stu comments

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has issued a response after receiving backlash for his comments about the Raja Jackson-Syko Stu situation.

While speaking to TMZ Sports earlier this week about the attack, Henry said Stu — as a veteran wrestler — shares some of the blame for the incident because he hit Jackson in the head with a beer can before the KnokX Pro Wrestling show. Henry was also critical that some people were drinking alcohol prior to the event.

Henry has gotten criticism for his take on social media and has even been accused of being a racist for not entirely blaming Jackson. But Henry is not backing away from what he said. He explained his comments more in-depth during the Wednesday edition of his Morning Kickoff radio show, saying his opinion wasn’t formed by race but instead comes from his experience as a wrestler.

“I did say that what happened was excessive with the young man, Raja Jackson, and that whole thing was a mistake. What I said has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with ignorance about the wrestling business,” Henry said. “And I don’t expect everybody to understand how organized pro wrestling has been for the last 100 years, because it’s been kept a secret. I don’t like to see anybody get hurt in the wrestling business, and I feel sorry for the guy.

“Syko [Stu] didn’t deserve what he got. But every action has a reaction, and there’s consequences for everything that you put out in this universe.”

Henry believes Jackson — the son of UFC legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — should have been smartened up more about the business before taking part in any kind of angle, comparing it to his own past when he was once “banished” to Canada to work with the Hart family and learn more about wrestling.

Concluding his statement, Henry said he is making zero apologies for what he said.

“I have not got one racist bone in my body. I love people. God put me on this earth to be a helper and to be a watcher,” Henry said.

“I just want to go on record as saying I’m making zero apologies for what I said. I meant every word — every single word I meant. You have to be responsible on both sides. The WWE is where they are because they do great business, because they smarten everybody up. And when people go off-script, they get fined, they get suspended, they get sent away. Until you know better, you can’t be on our program. And I don’t work for them, I just respect the business. So all of you fans out there that have these racist tendencies and all the vitriol for me, have at it. You can’t hurt me. I’m bulletproof.”

The Jackson-Stu incident took place at KnokX Pro’s August 23 show in Los Angeles and is currently under investigation by the LAPD. Stu has some serious injuries following the attack, but he is recovering and none of them are life-threatening. A GoFundMe campaign to help support him has raised more than $175,000.

In the wake of the incident, KnokX Pro — a training school and promotion — has lost its WWE ID affiliation.

Mark Henry: Syko Stu shares blame for Raja Jackson incident

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mark Henry says Syko Stu shares some of the blame for the incident at a KnokX Pro event on Saturday that left him with serious injuries.

Stu was injured after being knocked unconscious by a slam and then repeatedly punched by Raja Jackson, son of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. As of the latest update, Stu is awake and able to remember some of what happened but remains in critical care.

Henry spoke with TMZ about the incident, saying Stu should not have agitated Jackson by hitting him with a beer can before the show.

“You’ve got to be careful, one, who you’re messing with,” Henry said. “And, two, what kind of example are you as a veteran for inciting a riot with a kid?”

Henry was referring to a pre-show altercation where Stu, believing Jackson was a wrestler, hit him with a worked beer can shot to the head. Another video shows Jackson later accepting Stu’s apology.

“If indeed what I saw was what I saw, which is people before the show, during the day time, drinking and intoxicated or partially intoxicated,” Henry continued. “And you bust a bottle over a guy’s head and talk trash like that guy was not going to do nothing, yeah, you’re at fault.”

As of this writing, the GoFundMe page for Stu has raised over $73,000. Donors include Chris Jericho, Rusev, Ariya Daivari, Cezar Bononi, and others.

Henry’s interview with TMZ is available below:

Sons of Scott Steiner, Mark Henry & Titus O’Neil part of new WWE NIL class

Posted on by Josh Nason

The fifth-ever WWE NIL class has three names with familiar bloodline ties among them.

Announced by WWE on Saturday following USA Today’s initial report, Brock Rechsteiner (son of Scott Steiner), Jacob Henry (son of Mark Henry), and TJ Bullard (son of Titus O’Neil) were part of the 12-member class listed below.

Rechsteiner, formerly a wide receiver for the Jacksonville State football team, was reportedly offered his deal in January with his brother Brandon confirming it in February during an interview.

Henry is currently a football player and amateur wrestler at Oklahoma University while Bullard plays football for the University of Central Florida.

About the WWE NIL Program

The NIL (Next In Line) program was launched in December 2021 for college athletes. NIL deals allow athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness while still in college — a bi-product of new NCAA policies that took effect in July 2021 following the historic Ed O’Bannon lawsuit.

About the 5th WWE NIL Class

The following are the announced athletes, their most recent college, and sport played:

  • Brock Rechsteiner (Jacksonville State, football)
  • Jacob Henry (Oklahoma, football and wrestling)
  • Meghan Walker (Nebraska, track and field)
  • TJ Bullard (Central Florida, football)
  • Madison Kaiser (Minnesota, hockey)
  • Garrett Beck (Grand Canyon, lacrosse)
  • Kerrigan Huynh (University of Central Oklahoma, track and field)
  • Fatima Katembo (LSU Shreveport, basketball)
  • Bianca Pizano (Michigan State, field hockey)
  • Gina Adams (Lynn University, basketball)
  • Hidetora Hanada (Colorado State, football)
  • Zuriel Jimenez (Columbia University, track and field)

Mark Henry signs WWE Legends deal, Mattel figure announced

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mark Henry has signed a WWE Legends deal.

Ringside Collectibles posted a video of Henry announcing the news to social media on Saturday. It marks his return to the company for the first time in four years, after spending from May 2021 to May 2024 with AEW.

A new Mattel action figure for Henry is in the works. He has already been announced as future downloadable content (DLC) for the WWE 2K25 video game.

In addition to being under a WWE Legends deal, Henry is also the CEO of the All Caribbean Wrestling promotion. He spoke about the project on a recent episode of Josh Nason’s Punch Out.

Henry appeared on WWE programming last August when Raw was in Austin, Texas. He was shown sitting next to his son Jacob, who signed a WWE NIL deal just weeks earlier.

Shortly after the Raw on Netflix premiere, Henry spoke with TMZ Sports about the reaction Hulk Hogan received that night. Henry says he tried to help Hogan after leaked audio of him making racist comments surfaced in 2015, but Hogan felt the situation would “just go away.”

“He never wanted to go forward and fix it. That’s what happens when you think everything is gonna go away. It’s not gonna go away,” Henry said. “You know, I offered to say, ‘Hey, let’s do a tour of the Black colleges, law schools, and explain what happened.’ And he didn’t want to do that.”

JNPO: Mark Henry’s big dreams for All Caribbean Wrestling

Posted on by Josh Nason

Note: You can listen to this show free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching for “Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online.”

For the first time ever, a WWE Hall of Famer joins Josh Nason’s Punch-Out as former WWE World Champion and two-time U.S. Olympian Mark Henry stops by.

The primary reason: All Caribbean Wrestling, an organization I have been following for a few months after learning that Henry is the legitimate CEO of the group. Having visited the region several times, I have always been curious about the wrestling scene and if there is one.

In our talk, we delve into that, why Henry decided to get involved in the first place and what his goals are for the organization which includes some impending U.S. shows and their summer debut in Barbados. He also reveals one of his strategies and an NBA Hall of Famer who could be stopping by soon.

We also get updates on his son who is under a WWE NIL deal and his thoughts on his time in AEW.

Click here to listen (no sub needed)

***If you have 20 minutes, please check out my appearance on Mike McGuire’s weekly wrestling show where we recap AEW Grand Slam Australia, also available wherever you get your podcasts like Spotify.

Daily Update: WWE notes, Mark Henry-Hulk Hogan, Mercedes Mone

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The end of Raw on cable television and a look back at the show, Prime Time Wrestling, where it stands among the longest running wrestling shows on television, what to expect from the Netflix audience, the first show, how much WWE was getting for Raw at its ratings peak plus the year that USA nearly canceled Raw.
  • 2024 live attendance numbers for WWE and AEW and comparisons with this past year and historical.
  • Full coverage of Worlds End, including historical notes on aspects of the show, questions on the show, the decision to cut back on matches and what was left on the cutting floor, the best multiple match days in history, best openers in history, returns, PPV numbers and other business notes.
  • A look at both Tokyo Dome shows
  • A look at the career of Sweet Daddy Siki
  • President Jimmy Carter and he and his family’s connections with pro wrestling and Jim Barnett
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH Budokan Hall coverage and attempt to make a superstar in one night
  • Stardom’s big year-end show with one of the best women’s bouts of the year
  • Janel Grant’s attorneys looking at rewriting the lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE and the key reason why
  • 2024 Observer Awards ballot, detailed descriptions of the categories, the criteria and who placed top three in each category last year
  • Notes from the funeral of Rey Misterio Sr.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week
  • International TV ratings
  • Advanced ticket sales for all the major upcoming U.S. events including All In Texas, WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and more
  • CMLL huge business week
  • What promotion is spending January rematching the best matches as voted by fans for 2024
  • Major Japanese title changes as the year ends and starts
  • Two major companies losing U.S. TV this week and details of what happened
  • Shooting at independent wrestling arena
  • Deaths of two British stars of the ITV era, Tally Ho Kaye and their version of Blackjack Mulligan
  • Lots of notes on discussion points of Tony Khan’s press conferences this past week
  • What AEW idea got bounced because NXT did it first
  • Debut of Sakuraba’s son
  • Updates on WrestleMania
  • Updates of archival content on Netflix internationally and MAX in the U.S.
  • New WWE TV or streaming show being talked about
  • Survivor Series PPV number makes significant change and why
  • Notes on the must-read Inside the Ropes story on the late Axl Rotten’s days backstage regarding WWE and Mel Phillips
  • New WWE business deal
  • Full coverage of WWE holiday tour and how it compared with those the past few years

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • During his appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Seth Rollins was asked if he’s thought about how much longer he’s going to wrestle:
    • I think about it all the time. I am 38, I will be 39 in May. I think I’ve got more than a couple years left in me. The dynamic of the industry has shifted so much. I’m not wrestling 200 times a year anymore. I’m not on the road 300 days a year anymore. Live events, non-televised events have kind of dissipated, which for me, guys like me, I’ve wrestled over 2,000 matches in my career, that’s nice for me. It’s just like riding a bike for me. We’ll see how it is for people coming up who need that experience, we’ll see what that looks like in a few years. But with that schedule, I feel like I’ll be able to extend my career probably longer than I thought I was going to, and then it just depends on where I want to go from there, what I want to do next and how much time I’d like to spend at home with my daughter, taking her to do things that are important to her, that are a lot more important than making towns.
  • WrestleVotes gave an update on Alexa Bliss’ return to WWE:
    • The highly anticipated return of Alexa Bliss is on the horizon, according to a well placed source. Creative is reportedly working her into future plans, with merchandise and promotional materials already in development.
  • In an interview with TMZ Sports, Mark Henry reacted to Hulk Hogan getting booed on Raw’s Netflix premiere. Henry said Hogan never wanted to fix things after his racism scandal and thought that it was just going to go away:
    • He never wanted to go forward and fix it. That’s what happens when you think everything is gonna go away. It’s not gonna go away.
    • You know, I offered to say, ‘Hey, let’s do a tour of the Black colleges, law schools, and explain what happened.’ And he didn’t want to do that.
  • Cody Rhodes made a post on his Instagram stories congratulating CM Punk and Seth Rollins on main eventing Monday’s Raw.
  • WWE shared footage of Shawn Michaels congratulating Oba Femi backstage after his NXT Championship win.
  • Casual Conversations with The Classic interviewed Chelsea Green.
  • Maxxine Dupri & Cathy Kelley appeared on the Lightweights Podcast.
  • WWE Vault uploaded the full “Batista: The Animal Unleashed” documentary from 2014.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Taya Valkyrie said that she and her husband Johnny TV are safe but have been evacuated due to the California wildfires: “We’ve been evacuated, but are safe. Holy sh*t this is bad. Pray for LA”
  • In this week’s Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone opened up about how nervous and excited she was for her Wrestle Dynasty match at the Tokyo Dome:
    • One of the lines Advocate Kev [Keven Undergaro] says to Team-Moné on our various trips is: ‘We’re gonna make history…AGAIN!’ Though I have nerves and butterflies for all my big matches, my match at the Tokyo Dome against Mina was somehow different. From the moment I landed in Japan, where I actually bawled my eyes out with both disbelief and gratitude, to the morning of the event, where I had an actual panic attack, making history was the last thing on my mind. Kev could see my condition on the bus ride and asked: ‘Are you nervous or just excited?’ I replied, ‘Both.’ Truly, it was my lifelong dream to have a match at this level at the Tokyo Dome, so I was beyond excited. Along with the rich wrestling history, I feel as though, in some strange way, Japan, like Mexico, is another home. Yet, for all my joy, I was likewise petrified. I didn’t want to let the promoters down. I didn’t want to let the fans down. I didn’t want to let Mina down. I especially, and as always, didn’t want to let the women wrestlers of today AND tomorrow down. I want New Japan, and all promotions, globally, for that matter, to know that we female athletes deserve prominent recognition and a prominent place on the card.
  • Mone also had plenty of praise for her Wrestle Dynasty opponent Mina Shirakawa:
    • Mina came at me with full force, and let me tell you, I’m still feeling the impact days later. But I have to admit, there’s something I love about pro wrestling when it’s done right—like how Mina executed everything flawlessly, managing to keep it safe even when it stings. 
    • And let me tell you why else I love Mina. I remember meeting her a few years back when she was in her early 30s. At that time, she was new to our craft and shared her great passion for wrestling with me and wanting to wrestle in the U.S., but she had concerns about her age. She honestly seemed to feel like it was too late for her. I do remember assuring her nothing could be further from the truth. Side note and lesson for all of you, your friends, and your children: it’s never too late for any of us, as Mina proved. And you heard it here from the CEO: you have not seen the last of this girl. She is another superstar on the rise, and I couldn’t be prouder to know her and to have competed against her.
  • Serpentico was the guest on AEW Unrestricted this week.
  • AEW wished Ruby Soho a happy 34th birthday.
  • Eric Bischoff will be making an appearance via satellite at MLW Kings of Colosseum this Saturday.
  • MLW announced that Fightland 2025 will be held at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, September 13. Tickets are going on sale next Tuesday (January 14).
  • NJPW formally announced that the KOPW Championship has been retired, thanking fans for supporting the title over the years.
  • Yuji Nagata tweeted that his NJPW contract has been renewed for another year.
  • NJPW’s YouTube channel uploaded the full Battle in the Valley event from 2023 for free to YouTube. It was headlined by a double main event of Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Mercedes Mone vs. Kairi.
  • Ricky Starks will face Charles Mason at House of Glory Wrestling’s show in Queens, New York on Saturday, January 25.
  • Kurt Angle commented on his induction into the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame last night: “It was an honor to be inducted into the international professional wrestling HOF today in Albany,NY. Thank you to all who attended.”
  • Nikki & Brie Garcia were guests on We Got Time Today with Deion Sanders & Rocsi Diaz.

Wrestling Observer Live: G1, WWE SmackDown, Mark Henry

Posted on by Jim Valley

Note: This show is from Saturday.

It’s time for Wrestling Observer Live Saturday and it’s a packed show.

This year has been one of the best G1 Climaxes in years. The finals are set and for the first time since 2019, there will be a first time winner.

All Japan has a new Triple Crown Champion, Roman Reigns gets laid out by Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline on SmackDown. Plus, Mark Henry’s comments on Vince McMahon’s alleged victims and tough times.

Click here for the commercial-free download (sub required)

Mark Henry, Candice Michelle appear in crowd during WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two former WWE stars appeared in the crowd on Raw.

Mark Henry was shown in the Austin, Texas crowd on Monday with his son Jacob, who is part of the wrestling team at the University of Oklahoma. On commentary, Michael Cole noted that Jacob had signed an NIL deal with WWE.

This was the first WWE televised appearance for Mark Henry since his departure from the company in 2021, ending a 25-year run with WWE to join AEW as part of their broadcast team. Henry announced in May that he would not be renewing his contract. He currently is a part of Busted Open Radio.

Another former WWE star, Candice Michelle, appeared in the crowd during the show. 

The former Women’s Champion was part of WWE from 2004-2009, first appearing as part of the 2004 Diva Search. She made a cameo appearance during WWE’s Raw Reunion episode in 2019, briefly winning the WWE 24/7 Championship before losing to Alundra Blayze.

Mark Henry’s son Jacob signs with WWE

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Jacob Henry, son of WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, announced Thursday night that he has signed with the promotion.

Appearing at Remix Rumble on Thursday alongside his Hall of Fame father, Jacob announced that he has signed with WWE in news that “is going to come out in the next couple of days.”

Jacob is currently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and on the school’s wrestling team.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Mark stated that Jacob was also considering trying out for OU’s spring football team:

“They wanted him to come out for spring football, so you might get to see him out there on that field too as a two-sport athlete.”

It is unclear if Jacob has a WWE start date, or if he going to finish his collegiate career before officially joining the company.

In the same TMZ interview, Mark stated that Jacob’s passion is wrestling, but that Mark wanted him to complete his college degree before entering the business:

“His true passion is pro wrestling. He’s not trying to be the Olympic champion. He said, ‘Dad, I’m not trying to go to the Pro Bowl or win the Super Bowl.’ He said, ‘I want to main event WrestleMania. I wanna go to Japan and be champion.'”

He’s gotta hand me that degree first. Him and my daughter both. I was like, ‘Y’all hand me the degree, I will give you the keys to your inheritance and you can go do whatever you want to do.'”

Mark Henry makes MLW Battle Riot VI appearance following AEW departure

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mark Henry made his first post-AEW appearance at MLW’s Battle Riot VI event on Saturday in Atlanta.

Henry appeared alongside Teddy Long ahead of the Ritual Combat match between Alex Kane and AJ Francis (Top Dolla), which Kane ended up winning. It marked Henry’s first appearance since his contract with AEW expired at the end of May.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1797077543985504628

Henry announced on Busted Open Radio that he wouldn’t be re-signing, instead choosing to focus on other projects.

“And I am not gonna be renewing my deal. And I think that, you know, it’s a mutual thing,” he said. “If I can’t dedicate 100 percent of myself, then it’s only fair for both parties to end the relationship on a positive note. And, like I said, it’s been nothing but positive.”

In the top matches of Battle Riot VI, Satoshi Kojima defeated Tom Lawlor to retain the MLW Heavyweight Championship. Matt Riddle ended up winning the Battle Riot battle royal, last eliminating Sami Callihan.

Mark Henry confirms AEW departure: ‘I am not gonna be renewing my deal’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mark Henry is departing AEW when his contract with the promotion expires this week.

On Monday’s episode of Busted Open Radio, Henry addressed his contract status with AEW. Henry said his deal expires tomorrow (May 28), and he won’t be renewing his contract. Henry called it a “mutual thing” and said he’s ending his time with AEW on a positive note. He had a great experience in AEW but feels like it’s time to focus on other projects.

“My contract with AEW is set to expire tomorrow, the 28th. And today, of course, is the 27th. So I wanted to address that matter. And Tony Khan said at the press conference that he was very happy and proud of what we did together. And I feel exactly the same way,” Henry said. “I appreciate everything that happened at AEW with Tony Khan and the Khan family. I had a great experience, and I do feel like that it’s time for me to take more time to handle TheMarkHenry.com and the Remarkable brand and focus that attention on what my next steps are. And I am not gonna be renewing my deal. And I think that, you know, it’s a mutual thing. If I can’t dedicate 100 percent of myself, then it’s only fair for both parties to end the relationship on a positive note. And, like I said, it’s been nothing but positive.”

Henry signed with AEW in 2021, working as a coach and as a member of the broadcast team. He also was part of AEW’s community outreach team at one point but had shifted his focus to being a “psychology coach” helping talent. Though he’s leaving AEW, he’s still willing to help wrestlers if they reach out to him.

“I’ve done my best to help as many people as I could,” Henry said. “There was still some things that I wanted to help with that I didn’t get to finish, but those people have my phone number and anytime that they need to call me, I’m available for them.”

Henry clarified that he isn’t leaving pro wrestling.

“I am not leaving pro wrestling,” he said. “What I’m saying is that I’m going to take some time to work on some projects and I’m going to come back again full force. Because that’s what I do.”

Before joining AEW, Henry had a backstage role in WWE. He’s a former World Heavyweight Champion for WWE and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. The last match of his in-ring career also took place that year.