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In an exclusive, wide encompassing interview with Poker Scout, Mark Henry speaks all things Las Vegas as the Road to Wrestlemania heats up. The WWE Hall of Famer talks about his upcoming slots event at Resorts World and more…
Q: It’s WrestleMania season, are you looking forward to it?
A: I am. I mean, WrestleMania season is always what everybody gets up for. The closer you get to Mania, the more safe you get. You don’t want to get injured, you don’t wanna get nicked up. You just want to be able to go into that show as healthy as possible, so you can risk it all. And everybody wants to be remembered and there’s no other platform in wrestling where you’ll be remembered, like Wrestlemania.
Q: With Mania being in Las Vegas and obviously they host a lot of high energy events, how do you personally handle performing under the big city likes and the energetic crowds like in Vegas?
A: Well, I mean, we’re all exhibitionists, we’re all externally motivated. When you’re a competitor or entertainer, that’s the stage you thrive for, that you thrive in the best is a market like Vegas, where it’s all about the entertainment. It’s all about the flash, the glitz, the glamor, and any athlete or entertainer that crumbles under the pressure of the scrutiny of the fans, they shouldn’t be competing. So would you say it adds more excitement than pressure? Yeah. It is more excitement, than pressure.
Q: Are you gonna be out there in Vegas at WrestleMania?
A: I am. I’ll leave on Tuesday next week. And I’ll be doing events, not only for Busted Open the, SiriusXM radio show that we do seven days a week. But I will also be DJing and I’ll be mixing for Remix Rumble, so if you go on Instagram and you look up Remix Rumble then you’ll see me. I just recently did a tour in Europe for six days and every show was sold out and we trended. I trended three times in a week. So it was pretty cool. We’ve already sold close to 2000 tickets for the event that I’m doing on Saturday night.
Q: I saw you’re hosting a slots tournament as well at Resorts World with Diamond Dallas Page. Do, you ever play slots yourself, whether that’s online or when you go to Vegas?
A: I’m not a gambler. The most that I’m gonna do is hit up the buffets. It’s all about the food for me. I don’t gamble.
Q: You’ve recently signed back with the WWE, how did that come about and are you excited about the future?
A: Well, I signed a nostalgia deal, which is more marketing and media, and a licensing agreement. You know, so I have the action figures, the video games. 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 and when they came out with this new video game, in order to use my likeness and name, they had to have me on board. So we went to the negotiation table and here I am.
Q: Obviously you were in AEW for a couple of years, how did that go?
A: 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 gonna 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.
Q: Do you think there’s anything that AEW can do better?
A: I think everybody can do stuff better. But there’s no singling out. There’s not a knock on them for not having something. There’s a lot of stuff that people at WWE should be doing better. You can’t broad stroke, poke the finger at one company.
Q: Will Ospreay is signed with WWE, how far do you think he can go in this business?
A: There is no limit. 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.
Q: And obviously he was doing commentary and more behind the scenes things in AEW. How does that experience compare to being in the ring?
A: Oh my gosh, it’s completely different. Like I’ve never done it before and that was one of the things that I thanked AEW for the most, is the fact that I was able to learn how to do something a little bit different. Being behind the announcers table and to hold the microphone and introduce was something that I’d never done and I had a lot of fun doing.
Q: Which match are you most looking forward to at Wrestlemania in Vegas?
A: I would say I’m so excited about CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. But also, Gunther and ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso is another I’m super looking forward to. They are the two storylines that are appealing to me the most. But I’m wanting to see both nights just as much. But the two matches I mentioned are the most exciting.
Q: You mentioned the Punk/Rollins/Reigns match. How do you think Roman will be feeling? Because this is the first Wrestlemania he’s not been involved in a title match since WM35 (2018) and now he’s in a triple threat match.
A: You always wanna be in the top running for the title. You wanna be mentioned amongst championships, but Roman has had so much success that sometimes being outside can give you a little bit of time to recalibrate and focus on some other people that need building and I don’t think Roman would’ve had an issue with that.
Q: How are you enjoying the John Cena and Cody Rhodes stuff? Was you expecting Cena to have a heel turn?
A: Well, I tried to tell y’all when I was battling John, that he was not squeaky clean and perfect. But nobody wanted to listen! No, I’m joking. No I never would’ve thought that John would’ve stooped to this level, but I’m liking every minute of it, and I think that he and Cody are gonna have the world of wrestling fans very entertained by that match.
Q: Logan Paul, what’s next for him if he can beat AJ Styles at WrestleMania?
A: I think that there’s a big future for him. Like he’s just gotta keep on living. He has gotta keep on training and now that he’s fully committed himself to being a pro wrestler, I feel like that he is gonna take off.
Q: And if you had the opportunity to build one dream match for this year’s WrestleMania, who would you book to fight each other (past or present)?
A: Oh man. 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. But it’s all hypothetical.
Q: Obviously with Kevin Owens now he’s got an injury, he won’t be facing Randy Orton now at WrestleMania. What do you think that they could do for Randy then? Do you think he could get involved with Cody vs Cena?
A: No, I think that the fact that he got aggravated and he gave a RKO to Nick Aldis. Nick is not just a general manager like he is a world class wrestler. He’s unbelievably talented and I would hope to see him tell Randy, ‘Hey, if you ever put your hands on me again, I’m gonna put my boots back on and I’m gonna stick one of ’em up your rear end.’ I would pay money to see that!
Q: How excited are you to see the triple threat title match between Iyo Sky, Bianaca Belair and Rhea Ripley?
A: I’m already over the moon with wanting to see how it’s all going to play out and all of the women and even the subplots. Seeing Naomi and Jay Cargill, that’s something that I’m, I’m interested in as well and the pure passion of them wanting to take each other out, like that means a lot.
Q: Have you had anything from Brock Lesnar recently? Has he given you any insight into a potential return to the ring?
A: I haven’t spoken to him. I haven’t seen him on social media or nothing.
Q: What did you make of the new Hall of Fame inductees? (Triple H, Michelle McCool, Lex Luger)
A: I think they’ve all paid dues. The headlining Triple H could have been inducted multiple years. He’s done so much for the industry and it is good to see him get his flowers now.
Q: And of course your Hall of Famer as well. And now they’re introducing matches into the Hall of Fame. If you could choose one of your matches from over the years, which one would you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
A: Oh man, I had a few. WrestleMania 22, versus The Undertaker for the streak. And Randy Orton at Hell In A Cell. Not everybody gets to go and do Hell In A Cell. It’s a big match. It’s a big part of the fabric of WWE culture and I was blessed to be in that environment.
Q I imagine you got hit with a few spears in your career. Maybe from Edge and a couple others. What do you think of Bronn Breakers spear?
A: I have not had one. But I don’t want one, I don’t want the smoke! I’m old now. My bones are disintegrated.
Q: And I’m just gonna talk a bit about your career now. One of your most memorable hero runs during your career was the Hall of Pain era. What inspired that shift in character and was it a mix of you and creative wanting to do that? Or was it all you?
A: It was mostly all me. 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. And I don’t know how it happened but I ended up walking outta 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 and he was like, ‘let’s just play it. Let’s just play it.’ And we did and got a great result.
Q: Did you feel it was easier being a heel or a face?
A: It’s harder to be a good guy because everybody has bad guy intentions. Like, you know, somebody’s gonna stab somebody in the back and I think that that’s probably about the best part of wrestling is when you’re able to make people react positively or negatively. But just something emotional. If I’m walking through an arena and somebody sees me and I tell ’em to put their camera down, don’t record me and they don’t do it. If I start walking toward them, usually they would run off. And that’s the thing I love about wrestling is you paint the net, paint the picture, and create the narrative, and then you gotta follow through with it. And following through with it is the hard part. There’s a lot of stuff you can talk about, you can say it, but to actually do it and to make people be interested is hard to do.
Q: Were there any storylines that you were involved in which you regretted or didn’t want to do, what you did in the end and why?
A: No, I usually did what I wanted to do. If I was ever presented with something that I thought was unsavory, I would just say, ‘Hey, I don’t like this. This is not me, I’m not doing it.’
Q: As someone who was a world class power lifter and strongman back in the day, how did that background shape your in ring style or psychology behind what you did?
A: Just being big and strong. Like 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.
Q: Other than yourself, who was the strongest WWE superstar in the locker room?
A: Man, I think lifting weights, probably John Cena, Big E and Brock Lesnar were pretty impressive with lifting weights and barbells, but Big Show was just a giant, he was just like, stronger. He is just a big strong dude. And I watched the Big Show do like five reps with 500 pounds in the gym and I was like ‘holy sh*t, he’s strong.’ I didn’t know he was that strong. That’s just a byproduct of being a bigger, stronger human.
Q: What did you make of the New Day’s heel turn?
A: Well, it is, it is working. And one of the main reasons why it was working is the fact that nobody expected it, just like John Cena’s heel turn, like, you just didn’t expect that. Like the New Day. As nice as they are, I was thinking ‘wow, not them.’ Yes, them, they’re doing a hell of a job though.
Q: You’ve been a mentor to a lot of younger talent as well. And who are some wrestlers that today you’re especially proud to see helping to see growing?
A: Braun Strowman, he is just doing so good. Jay Cargill and Bianca Belaire are doing really, really good. There’s several others that I work with kinda like in passing, but those are the ones that I know will draw money.
Q: And you were in plenty of tag team matches during your career. Who was your favorite partner and why?
A: D’Lo Brown. Oh man. 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!
Q: And if there was anybody in the locker room right now who was not active when you were still active, who would you want to partner with?
A: I see potential in a few guys that are not recognizing their ability and Omos is one of ’em, the giant. And I wanna do a verbal lobotomy of him. And I want to be able to interject where he’s weakest and make it a strength. It can be done.
Q: Which superstar was the easiest to work with in the ring? And who did you enjoy having a match with the most?
A: Oh, Rey Mysterio, like everybody’s gonna say the same thing. Rey, working with Rey Mysterio is like having the night off! It was the easiest thing that you ever seen in your life and I appreciate him and being able to work with him all these years.
Q: What do you make to Rey’s storyline at the minute with El Grande Americano or Chad Gable shall we say?
A: I was just about to say, don’t you mean Chad Gable with a mask on! Stop it Chad. We know it’s you. Golly, Chad Gable. Man, you just chaps my ass a little bit. He is such a liar and he makes you wanna 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. Oh man. Like, I’m gonna have to change the subject. I feel like I gotta go brush my teeth now talking about it. 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 gotta hang on and wait!
Q: I wanted to ask you about your Caribbean Wrestling promotion. How’s that going?
A: It’s going great. It’s going really, really well. I’ll make a really nice announcement on Wednesday 16th when I’m in Vegas. There’s a lot going on and I’m very proud that we’ll be able to make this announcement, but it’s going to be a world news type of thing! Any potential with WWE stars at a minute that could be joining forces with you over there? Not just yet, but I feel like that’s a progression. That’s the next step.
Q: WWE Mount Rushmore? Who would make your list? (EXCL)
A: Well, I mean, that’s also a preference thing. It’s not just about talent or titles, like it’s your personal preference and The Undertaker and Andre the Giant would be on there. Those would be my first two non-negotiables. One on one end, one on the other, and in the middle, that’s where it gets hard. That’s where it gets really, really hard. Rick Flair being the most entertaining wrestler that I feel like I’ve ever seen would definitely be right there. That last spot, you have to look at history and then you have to look at money. You know Stone Cold Steve Austin made a lot of money transcended, did unbelievable things. The Rock, a lot of money, did unbelievable things. Shawn Michaels, Triple H. Brett Hart, there’s probably about another 10 guys that can take that spot in the middle. And it has always been hard for me to put somebody in there, but you cannot mention pro wrestling and not say Hulk Hogan. And I would say in the middle would be Rick Flair and Hulk Hogan. Andre The Giant on one end and The Undertaker on the other. And you know, Brett Hart and Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and the list goes on. Booker T, Gorgeous George, all of these great wrestlers. There’s been so many and I see people’s faces right now because I can see myself leaving somebody out and people might get angry!
Q: You mentioned Hulk Hogan there. Has he spoken to you since the clips of your DJ set surfaced?
A: No, I don’t expect him to, and I don’t care whether he does or not. I’m an entertainer and whenever I play DJ and I play wrestling theme music, and I mix it with modern music and the crowd loves it. And whenever I play Hulk Hogan, they boo. I didn’t start it! But then I stopped because Hulk Hogan and Iron Sheik always had troubles and I make it about wrestling, and I say in the immoral words of the Iron Sheik, ‘Screw The Hulk Hogan’ in an Iron Sheik voice. Like, I’m entertaining. I don’t have no dog in the fight. 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 and all the videos and stuff surfaced and he leaned into it, joining the political realm. I’m not a political person. I don’t care. Like, I believe that all of them are wrong because they’re not serving the people. I think politicians serve themselves in policies. I think that if you want something done, go do it yourself. That’s what I do. If I see kids needing jackets and they need school supplies, I’m going to fundraise. I’m going to go do stuff and bring attention and try to help those kids. If somebody’s homeless, there’s all these organizations that try to help people. I support ’em. That’s what the world should do, rather than sit back and let people make policies like, take your ass out there and work on something. Make the world better today.
Q: How would you sum up CM Punk’s career? Because he said if he wasn’t still wrestling, he’d either be in jail or could even be dead by now?
A: Well, I mean, 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. So there’s a lot of it, but I think that the man that Punk is today is a businessman. He is a husband, he is a dog dad and he is well respected in the wrestling community. The last thing that when you mention CM Punk’s name is a problem, he’s not a problem. 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.
Q: Your son Jacob, how’s he getting on with his wrestling training?
A: Jacob did really well in wrestling this year as a freshman, but he is out there battling 25 and 27 year olds, guys that’ve been wrestling since they were nine years old. And his 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 gotta 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. How long until we see him in the ring in WWE do you reckon? I would think like three years before he was full time. You could come out retirement. Do a tag team match with him? Hell no. If somebody asks me, I’ll call the police!
Q: If you had one piece of advice for any youngsters who want to be professional wrestlers. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to them?
A: Go have a life. Because pro wrestling requires experience and it also requires savvy and understanding of systems. So you have to go and get experience. You gotta go have a life before you throw yourself into pro wrestling because you’re not gonna understand psychology, you’re not gonna understand where to go. You wanna travel and see the world and see different things. So you have an understanding when you start talking about Australia or you start talking about the UK or Russia or Africa, Asia or Canada. Like wherever you go in this world, like you wanna know the cultures. You wanna be able to make reference to it. If you can’t make a play on words or you can’t wow people, you shouldn’t wrestle. You’re not there yet. Somebody’s going to eat your face off!
