WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry is considering a return to the ring. The World’s Strongest Man isn’t looking for a Goldberg style championship run, nor an awe-inspiring return like Edge. No, his reasons for wanting to get back into the squared circle are far simpler and more fitting for a man of his character and poise.
Henry turns 50 years old on June 12th. During a recent episode of Busted Open on Sirius XM, he revealed his desire to wrestle again after reaching this big milestone.
“I’ll be 50 years old, and I want to be able to say I wrestled after I was 50 and had a good match,” said Henry. “I wrestled in four decades, and that I was able to help somebody in the process or bring attention to somebody that nobody knew. So that’s the whole point in me doing it.”
You can listen to his comments in the player embedded below:
Mark Henry has been a great ambassador for the sport. It is only fitting that his desire to return is to not only prove a point to himself, but also to help the younger generation of superstars gain valuable in-ring experience.
Henry is now part of the management structure at SWE yet when asked if he would make his return for this promotion his response was somewhat coy.
“I’m kind of right now a WWE lifer but only God knows what the future holds.”
Could We See a Leaner Meaner Mark Henry?
Henry went on to say that he would love to have one more match with Randy Orton. Orton is a wrestler who many seem to think is the best star in WWE right now. There can be no denying that Henry has kept in shape since stepping away from the ring. Henry looks very trim if a recent Covid vaccination pose is anything to go by.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMNHQo4huI1/
While this makes it sound like he would come back to help out Vince, you can’t help but think seeing Mark Henry square off against Paul Wight in an AEW ring would be a great thing to watch. If he happens to give MJF an Olympic slam along the way I’m sure nobody would object.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry is gearing up for a return to the ring. Henry says he is “lighter, trimmer” than he’s ever been and plans to wrestle at least once in the next six months.
Henry discussed his intentions on a recent episode of Busted Open on SiriusXM. He is open to wrestling anybody, but spoke about battling a former rival, Randy Orton.
“I’d rather get punked out than to get my a– whooped, Randy is not somebody to mess around with if you’re not 100%,” said Henry.
“Now I’m walking on two feet, I’m 325 pounds; I’m lighter, trimmer than I’ve ever been. I plan on having a match sometime in the next six months. I just want to have one match, and if Randy is the guy, then so be it. Believe me, I’ll be ready and I won’t be on one foot on a push scooter.”
The former World Champion made his WWE debut way back in 1996. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Although Mark Henry never had a formal retirement, he has not been an active competitor since 2013. He’s worked for WWE in various behind the scenes roles in recent years.
Former NWA commentator and outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette recently discussed the ongoing online ‘feud’ between Ryback and Mark Henry.
Ryback recently made comments on Championships in wrestling, saying that they are ‘props.’ “Wrestling’s fake guys and the Championships are props to market entertainers as ‘Champions’” Ryback said. “Nobody has actually ever won or lost a prop, as scripted physical entertainment is incapable of that.”
Mark Henry took exception to this, making multiple disparaging comments on Busted Open Radio towards The Big Guy. It appears as though Jim Cornette agrees with Henry, making the following comments on his Drive Thru podcast.
Jim Cornette on Ryback
“He don’t get the f*cking picture” Cornette began. “Because he’s (Ryback) got such a hard on for Vince and the WWE, because they didn’t make him a world champion. He sounds…he is a disrespectful piece of sh*t that wouldn’t have been allowed in the wrestling business 30 years ago; because the way he talks about it, thinks about it, obviously, and considers it.”
“F*ck you” Jim Cornette continued. “Just because you didn’t get to be World Champion, and you didn’t get to win the belt and you didn’t get to do whatever you wanted to do; to where you had to walk away on a multimillion dollar contract because they wouldn’t see how ‘great’ you were? You call the business phoney and fake, you tell everybody the championships are props, don’t mean anything. You were f*cking jilted by your f*cking boyfriend so you try to tear him down.”
Jim Cornette has thrown comments at Ryback in the past, but these recent words seem far more incendiary. Mark Henry does not seem interested in discussing the ‘feud’ on Busted Open further; Ryback himself has made it clear that his issues were only ever with WWE themselves and not the talent.
Mark Henry has taken offense to former WWE Superstar Ryback’s lack of respect for the wrestling business. During a recent episode of Busted Open, Henry said that many of Ryback’s peers found him difficult to work with and unsafe in the ring.
“A lot of his peers looked at him as difficult, a lot of his peers looked at him as dangerous,” Mark Henry said on the show.
Henry also took offense to Ryback stating that wrestling championships are just “props.”
Wrestling’s fake guys and the Championships are props to market entertainers as “Champions”’ Nobody has actually ever won or lost a prop, as scripted physical entertainment is incapable of that. This tweet explains so much though on your tv deal with them. https://t.co/KurkFyBISo
Henry takes pride in his accomplishments in pro wrestling and defended the value of titles.
“The championship is the championship, it’s not a prop and he’s wrong,” said Henry. “I’ve been a world champion in 3 sports and I consider pro-wrestling one of those. Ryback can’t take away what I achieved. You are wrong. Every wrestler that sees your face should walk up to you and say ‘hey, you’re an asshole.’ And I hope you know how to fight for real because you know and I know, there’s a lot of people that would whoop your ass.”
Henry finished by saying, “You owe the wrestling industry an apology. If you don’t, I think that pro-wrestlers all over the world should never give you respect.”
You can listen to Mark Henry’s comments about Ryback in the audio player embedded below:
. @TheMarkHenry didn't hold back his thoughts when discussing @Ryback latest comments disparaging wrestling and the Championship belt!
I was a “failure” for showing up and helping build the Punk Rock storyline according to @themarkhenry and every other time I showed up and did my job regardless of being scripted to win or lose since it didn’t involve winning the heavyweight championship. https://t.co/kLW4nJhRsC
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the working partnership between IMPACT Wrestling and AEW. Henry would say that he is a fan of the two brands working together.
“I do think it will work” Mark Henry began on Busted Open Radio. “I think that is something that for a long, long time? Fans have wanted. They’ve wanted to see fantasy booking. They wanted to see who was the best from WWE versus the best at WCW, and they got that. Look how successful that ended up being!”
Mark Henry on WWE ‘Invasion’
Henry would then address a rumor that was originally being discussed amongst the likes the of Vince Russo. “Just a few months ago there was a rumor, and it was just a rumor, because if it had any legs? It would have happened. An invasion from WWE to AEW, and I was like, ‘oh, man. That would be cool.'”
It seemed odd for Henry to address this rumor as it appeared to be fairly baseless from the get go.
“AEW made [the partnership], they made it a reality with IMPACT” Mark Henry continued. “There’s some good, really outstanding talent on Tuesday nights, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s gonna happen.”
Mark Henry would finish by mentioning how the relationship with NWA has helped AEW. Specifically, with the National Wrestling Alliance allowing the likes of Thunder Rosa to appear on All Elite programming and PPV. “I mean you see Thunder Rosa is coming in and wrestling the women at AEW, and she’s adding a lot to their women’s division. So it’s good relationship for both and it’s good for every company involved.”
AEW Champion Kenny Omega will be appearing on IMPACT this week. The newly crowned Champion took the belt last week with help from IMPACT’s Don Callis.
Will you be watching IMPACT this week? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the working partnership between IMPACT Wrestling and AEW. With those two names working together for the time being, Henry would discuss WWE and the potential for them to work with outside brands.
Triple H recently stated that WWE are “open for business” is it is the “right opportunity,” saying that there’s an incorrect perception that WWE won’t work with outside companies. WWE seemingly has working relationships with British promotions PROGRESS, ICW, Irish promotion OTT and Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan.
Mark Henry on WWE Partnerships
“The right opportunity” Mark Henry began on Busted Open Radio, discussing what Triple H revealed. “Not every opportunity. He didn’t say ‘we’re gonna jump in the bed with anybody and everybody.’ Because if you sleep with dogs? You’re gonna get fleas.”
Henry would then reveal the company he believes WWE should be working with. “I think that the biggest one would be MLW, because you got family and lineage already. The Von Erichs, you’ve got Brian Pillman, Jr, although I have seen him at AEW. So, the guys or girls ‘moving’ around right now? They are allowed to [within MLW], so they are, they got to go where they can make money.”
Mark Henry would finish by saying that Jacob Fatu is also a name he wants to see in WWE. With the ongoing Samoan Family storyline with Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, Henry believes that Fatu would be a major asset for WWE as part of that feud.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently recalled incidents backstage whilst he was in the then WWF.
Although no particular names where mentioned, Henry would recall several ‘cliques’ backstage in WWE/WWF. The timeline for the incidents appeared to be during the mid to late 90’s, and Henry would mention how Bret Hart was instrumental in helping him keep his career on track.
“The WWE has had success with me” Mark Henry would begin on Busted Open. “But they also made some mistakes, throwing me to the wolves. It ended up with me making threats against ‘top guys’ and then those ‘top guys’ going ‘look it’s me or him.'”
“There was a lot of cliques and individual mafias” Mark Henry would continue. “Where guys…they all stood up for their own group of guys. When I had trouble with one? I had trouble with all of them. And I didn’t mind, I was like ‘bring it outside.’ And they’re like, ‘man, are you crazy!?’ ‘Yeah that’s right, I am crazy!’ and it didn’t help me.”
Mark Henry would then discuss how he went to Bret Hart’s school in Calgary and he worked with The Hitman. “So, Bret was opening up a school in Calgary, and Vince knew about that. Vince talked to Bret about having me come there for a while and letting the smoke clear, because at that time? I had dropped a nuclear bomb.”
“I got to Canada” Henry continued. “Bret was like ‘hey man, you seem like a good dude. I know what happened to you, let’s fix it, because I think that it’s over for you, if I can’t fix you.’ It was just that.” Obviously whatever Bret did to help worked Henry in the end.
Who do you think that Mark Henry argued with backstage? Any particular Kliqs spring to mind? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at Survivor Series 2020.
Henry of course had multiple bouts against the Deadman throughout his career. This included their WrestleMania 22 Casket Match, which saw ‘Taker go 14-0 in his historic ‘Mania streak.
“Deservedly so” Mark Henry began on Busted Open, agreeing to how the Undertaker’s Final Farewell was as grand in scale as it could be at WWE’s ThunderDome. “I mean like outside of Andre [The Giant], Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin? There’s never been a more exciting presence that you look forward to in wrestling.”
Henry would then discuss how ‘Taker’s presence and character outweigh any physical or in-ring weaknesses he may have. “There have been better grapplers, there have been better [in-ring]. There’s Shawn Michaels for example, as far as how many titles he’s won? But the Undertaker didn’t need titles.”
“The Undertaker was the Undertaker, he was the backbone of the business” Mark Henry would continue. “If his name was on the card? Your money went up dramatically. It wouldn’t be a couple of dimes here in there. I’m talking about being on a card with the Undertaker and not being on the card with Undertaker could have made a difference of whether you make 5 or 10 grand a week difference. He was the guy that changed everything.”
Do you think that we’ll ever see The Undertaker on WWE television again? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently discussed WWE releasing Zelina Vega. The story broke over the weekend and is the hottest topic in wrestling, bringing the ‘independent contractor’ status of WWE on-screen performers into question once again.
“I was a little shocked but I wasn’t completely surprised” Mark Henry began on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. “Because I know how much of a Twitch and social media maven that she is. And it was gonna be hard to get her not to do Cameos, it would be hard to get her not to do Twitch, and so on, and so on.”
Zelina Vega’s Parting Gifts
“I mean you just look at Halloween? Like she dressed up like three or four different people” Henry continued. “This cosplay stuff and having relationships with the fans based on all the characters that she played. So, I didn’t see her dropping it, there’s a couple other people that I didn’t see dropping it.”
Several people in the arts and entertainment industry have rallied behind Zelina Vega in the aftermath of the release. SAG-AFTRA have also declared that they’re looking at helping professional wrestlers to “secure the protections they deserve.”
Avid Streamer Thea Trinidad (Zelina Vega)
Mark Henry would then reveal that Zelina Vega was aware that she would be getting the axe from WWE before the news was officially released.
“But the thing about it is? She knew she got…and this is this comes from good authority, I don’t release my sources. It comes from good authority that she knewbefore they gave her the future endeavor speech. Then she was like ‘well I’m gonna leave some parting gifts.'”
WWE Superstar Big E recently appeared on the WWE After The Bell w/Corey Graves podcast. The (former?) New Day member discussed a number of topics from his time with the company. One of the discussion points involved Big E’s comical demeanor whilst being a ‘powerhouse’ wrestler.
“I think what I realized pretty quickly was ‘okay, I’m a bigger guy. I’m going to be billed as a powerhouse'” Big E began on the podcast. “But I always thought where do I be different? You have Brock, we had Mark Henry…I’m not even six feet tall. And I’m thinking about all these guys that that I’m kind of going to be compared against. All the guys that occupy a similar lane.”
Trying to Figure it Out
“So I kept thinking ‘man if I’m just another serious big guy? I don’t know how much traction I’m ever going to get in this company” Big E would continue. “So for me it was a matter of trying to figure out like…I can’t work like Apollo Crews, I can’t do what Apollo does. I can’t do that stuff, and I’m not as big as a lot of the other guys. So I tried to figure out what makes me different. What allows me to stand apart.”
Big E would also discuss his time in the FCW developmental territory, saying how he worked on his persona whilst in the Florida based promotion. This involved coming up with comical ways to work promo class.
“So for a while you know I was doing stuff and it wasn’t…I’m sure you (Corey Graves) remember. I was doing a lot of stuff that I don’t think I could ever really do inside a WWE ring! As far as we were (the wrestlers) concerned? I was just doing goofy stuff. I forget a lot of the stuff I did!”
Are you excited for Big E to now get a singles run in WWE after such a long time with New Day? Let us know in the comments
Mark Henry has made it clear that he’s willing to do one more match if it can be against The Rock.
The WWE Hall of Famer did an interview with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson where he noted that if he was to wrestle again then it would be against the fellow Nation Of Domination member
“I’m 2-0 against The Rock,” Henry said. “I think I should give him the opportunity to get one, to get a ‘chip against me. I think if I was to come out of retirement and wrestle somebody, I would say, “Hey man. You wrestling again, huh?
You know you never beat me. Don’t that bother you a little bit? You should wanna get that ‘chip…” and see what he says. He would say, ‘Your ass is going down this time! You might as well go on and look up at the lights!’ I would have to look at the lights.”
Henry has been with the company since 1996. During his career, he has held three championships. The WWE World Heavyweight Title, ECW Title, and European Title. He was also a three-time Slammy Award winner.
Henry’s last match came when he worked a Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event back in April 2018.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on the perceived ‘spot battle’ nature of some modern professional wrestling.
Henry was extremely critical of modern performers and his belief that they are destroying the importance of ‘finishing’ moves. “There was a time in the 80s that if you got hit with a DDT? It was OVER” Mark Henry began on the show.
Mark Henry on Finishing Moves
“You got hit with a Superkick? You were done. Piledriver? Done, any variation! Standing, sitting, Tombstone, any kind of Piledriver? It was over, cancel Christmas” Mark Henry would continue.
The World’s Strongest Man would then note that it wasn’t any particular brand or promotion that has this ‘issue;’ Henry stated that it is entrenched across pro wrestling as a whole. “But now? It’s across every brand of pro wrestling. And I challenge every wrestler out there in the world is, don’t prostitute moves/manoeuvres. Don’t prostitute them, make them mean something.”
Henry would elaborate further, saying “allow me as a fan to start to believe and love again. What we’re hearing from the fans? Is that they love pro wrestling, they love what they got from the WWE, the WWF, and the WWWF. We still have some of those people living, we (wrestlers) should put an emphasis on the love for the business.”
Mark Henry would finish by making an incendiary comment against some of today’s stars. “The way that we ingest it as fans? It’s being shoved down our throats by people that barely know how to do it. So, the owners of the companies? Put your people to task. Veterans in the locker room? Tell the young guys quit doing sh*t that they don’t know how to do well.”
Do you agree with Mark Henry? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Roman Reigns’ ongoing Universal Championship run.
Reigns is currently in a feud with his real life cousin and member of the Samoan family, Jey Uso. Mark Henry was speculating where the storyline could go and he anticipated that The Rock may be the WrestleMania destination for Roman Reigns next year.
‘Roman Has To Win’
There have been rumors that The Rock may in fact return for a potential showdown with Roman Reigns. However these are currently just rumors and no concrete plans are reportedly in place for a Rock/Roman main event next year.
“Roman has to win” Mark Henry began on the show, discussing a potential Rock/Reigns WrestleMania match. “Dwayne [The Rock] is not there every day. He can’t be the ‘High Chief.’ It’s a sad, sad thing that I’m bringing to you right now!”
“Romans’ there every day by hook or by crook” Mark Henry would continue. “Lying, stealing, cheating ala Eddie Guerrero. You’ve got to get it done, because you’re the guy that is gonna be there.”
Henry would finish by saying how much a win over The Rock would solidify Roman Reigns as one of the ‘greatest ever’ in WWE. “You can hold the title up and say, ‘I’m the greatest of all time AND I am the high chief. [It would give] him that ‘heat.’ Everybody [will] have to obey, because now? It’s been ‘awarded’ to you.
“That is what I see. There’s gonna be a lot of tears shed at WrestleMania, there’s gonna be a lot of tears, but wrestling wise? We are going to be happy with what we get.”
Do you agree with Mark Henry? Do you think that The Rock will come back to WWE for one final match with Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed WWE Superstar Ricochet on the show.
Henry and host Dave LaGreca were covering Pat McAfee and his recent promo work in NXT. Mark Henry was complimentary of McAfee’s work, saying “he’s glib, he knows who he is.” The World’s Strongest Man would then move on to talk about the RAW Superstar Ricochet; saying that he needs to be more forceful in how he approaches his on-screen character.
Mark Henry on Ricochet
“I don’t find this offensive, but I don’t want my guy [Ricochet] to get angry” Mark Henry began on the podcast. I told Ricochet, last time I saw him, ‘why would you allow somebody to tell you who you are?’
Mark Henry would then discuss the idea of WWE talent being given more leeway with their promo and character work. “YOU go out and dictate what the narrative is about you, how you want to be portrayed. Everybody knows that Ricochet is awesome. There’s probably not 10 people better than him as a pro wrestler.”
“But the difference between Ricochet and Pat McAfee” Mark Henry would continue, “is Pat McAfee knows who he is. And he don’t give a damn if you don’t like it. He don’t give a damn. Ricochet needs to get some [of that]. ‘I don’t give a damn what you think. This is who I am. This is what I am.’
Henry would finish by re-iterating that he is a massive Ricochet fan, but he wants him to move on to the next level with his character work. “Then we’ll have a different Ricochet, because I’m on the Ricochet bandwagon. I want him to get fired up sometimes to where it pisses people off. Sometimes you got to break a few eggs and make an omelette.”
Do you agree with Mark Henry? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry featured in several segments during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. During the night, he shared the screen with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. In another segment, he was speaking with both Bianca Belair and Ruby Riott.
According to Dave Meltzer via Wrestling Observer Radio, Mark Henry’s appearance was meant to connect to Ron Simmons’ recent appearance. Simmons appeared on last week’s episode.
Both Simmons and Henry were allegedly brought in to kickstart plans for a rebooted version of the Nation of Domination. These plans, however, have reportedly been nixed.
Plans were speculated to have the new version of the NOD be led by MVP, who recently declared himself the new WWE United States Champion. He made the claim during The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. The group would also have included Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.
“The deal with Mark Henry was – Mark Henry and Ron Simmons were brought in for these tapings for the Nation of Domination angle that they scrapped,” Meltzer said. “So I guess they just figured since Mark Henry is there, they just put him on TV for no reason.”
In recent weeks, the pairing of MVP and Lashley were referred to as The Hurt Business. Assuming the Nation of Domination reboot has been permanently shelved, this may become the permanent name of MVP’s stable going forward.
WWE Hall of Famers Mark Henry and Bully Ray have shared their thoughts on the recent confrontation between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee. The two discussed the incident during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.
While appearing on McAfee’s show, Cole took issue with McAfee’s suggestion that he had only become the longest-reigning NXT Champion because of the Undisputed Era. He then mocked Cole’s size, calling him “small.” At this point, Cole took offense and began to berate McAfee before storming off.
Henry stressed how the best stories have a semblance of reality to them. He shared how he doesn’t believe their interaction was work, adding how WWE should capitalize on this encounter, turning it into business.
“This is not a work, this is real sh*t that’s going to have to be turned into business because it’s too good not to,” Mark Henry explained. “Here we are with all the stuff that happened for a week in pro wrestling and we’re talking about a verbal disagreement on a show. It was real and that’s why we talking about it.”
Pushing Adam Cole’s Buttons
Mark Henry’s co-host Bully Ray explained how he believes McAfee’s words pushed Cole’s buttons on an off day. He then asked how Cole’s reaction can be justified or found “acceptable” by WWE.
Bully Ray also argued how people can also put the onus on McAfee. He suggested how WWE may reflect on its relationship with the host and the work they’ve done together:
“And then the WWE can turn around and go, ‘You know something Pat? We’ve been really good to you, we’ve allowed you to announce on our shows. […] Why did you even feel the need to throw any digs at Adam Cole?’ There’s a lot of different ways to look at this. You know Adam Cole is a big part of the NXT roster. You know that people bust his chops for his size. Why would you do that?”
The guest for the seventh episode of WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s WWE Network show is set and it’s Mark Henry who will be appearing.
The guest for the show, “Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions,” was recently announced.
On Monday, WWE confirmed via a post on Twitter that Austin’s next guest will be none other than the future WWE Hall of Famer. The episode premieres on WWE’s streaming service on Sunday, June 28 at 10 a.m. ET.
In February, Austin had the chance to interview former WWE Champion The Big Show, which marked the third episode. Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Big Show, Bill Goldberg, and The Undertaker have also appeared on the show. Now, the seventh installment will see Mark Henryappearing.
Henry has been with the company since 1996 and during his career, he has held three championships. The WWE World Heavyweight Title, ECW Title, and European Title. He was also a three-time Slammy Award winner.
Henry’s last match came when he worked a Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event back in April 2018. This was after 10 months of him confirming that his 21-year in-ring career was coming to an end.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Velveteen Dream and the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House event that will be taking place this weekend.
The show will be airing live on WWE Network Sunday night, and the main event will see NXT Champion Adam Cole defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Velveteen Dream cannot defeat Cole, then he will be unable to challenge again for the NXT Championship.
Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole
That stipulation will stay in place as long as Cole is Champion. With the stipulation confirmed, there have been rumblings of Velveteen Dream finally making his rise to WWE’s ‘main roster’ and joining SmackDown or RAW. Although WWE has previously said that NXT is on par with both of the traditional main brands, it’s clear that WWE still classes SmackDown and RAW as the two main programmes for the company.
“I want to see Velveteen Dream stepping up” Mark Henry began on Busted Open. “He’s always entertaining and flamboyant and kinda like a loose cannon, if you will, sometimes.”
Henry would elaborate further, saying “I want to see him elevate his work. I want to see him be the Velveteen that we’ve seen, BUT I also want to see something else. I want to see everything, I want to see more from Velveteen Dream.”
Here’s the full card for NXT Takeover: In Your House
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship Match
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship Match
Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream – Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
Do you think that Velveteen Dream will win the Championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed NXT Champion Adam Cole and his prospects on WWE’s ‘main roster.’ There have been reports that WWE management are concerned at the size of Adam Cole, who some deem as ‘too small’ to be taken seriously as a main eventer on WWE’s biggest stage.
“There’s the misconception that Adam Cole is not big enough to be on RAW or SmackDown” Mark Henry would begin. “When I say big enough? I mean his stature? It is great, incredibly big enough. But size wise?”
Adam Cole (Baybay)
Henry would elaborate further, saying how he does not agree at all with the assessment of the NXT Champion. “I think that’s unbelievably unfair. Because you think about the match he had with Daniel Bryan; and him beating Daniel Bryan, I might add to that [November 2019]. The dude was stellar, and you would get more of that if he was to go to RAW or SmackDown.”
The World’s Strongest Man would then talk about the perceived size issue in WWE generally. “I think that the biases about size needs to go away” Henry confirmed. “The dude is unbelievably good. And I want to see him versus Drew McIntyre, I want to see him versus Brock Lesnar, I want to see him versus Randy Orton, Edge, Baron Corbin you name it, he can get the job done.”
Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream this weekend at NXT Takeover: In Your House in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Dream loses then he will be unable to challenge for the belt again, as long as Cole is Champion.
Do you think that Adam Cole could be a big star on WWE’s ‘main roster’ of RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on the on-screen chemistry of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Lance Archer.
When Jake Roberts first appeared on AEW television it was to the shock of the wrestling audience. Roberts has not been a prominent figure in such a high profile role in many, many years.
When it was confirmed that Roberts would be managing Lance Archer, there were some who were concerned that WWF legend would overshadow the newcomer to All Elite Wrestling. Mark Henry confirmed that he doesn’t see that as being the case.
Lance Archer
“No, I don’t think that that Jake is overshadowing Lance Archer” Henry would begin on the show. “There’s been many managers, that you know…I remember Bobby Heenan with Andre [The Giant]. He was the most vocal of the two and he brought up a bunch of valid points, but he never overshadowed Andre.”
Henry would elaborate further on the point, comparing the dynamic to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. “And then you have Paul Heyman, we consider Paul to be one of the top managers of all time. He’s been the mouthpiece and the spokesman, but every now you’ll see Brock Lesnar go, ‘Paul, now’s not the time for comedy. Say what I told you to say.’ And then you see who the boss is.”
Focus on Business
Bringing the discussion back to Archer and Roberts, Henry pointed out that Archer will need to establish he is the top dog and cement the dynamic ala Heyman and Lesnar. “At some point? Archer is just gonna turn to Jake and say ‘Snake? You here because I want you here, I need to focus on my business. You just say what I said.’ It’s easily done like that, there won’t be overshadowing. If I see it? I know they see it.”
Lance Archer will be challenging to become the inaugural TNT Champion this weekend at the AEW Double or Nothing PPV when he faces Cody Rhodes in the tournament final.
Do you think that Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts is overshadowing Lance Archer in AEW? Let us know in the comments
Mark Henry took part in an interview with TMZ Sports recently and addressed recent comments made by Lio Rush. Rush was released from WWE last month and has since taken shots at Henry for comments Henry made about him last year.
Henry took issue with Lio Rush not being honest with him about having backstage heat while he was on the main roster in 2019. Henry talked about this on Busted Open Radio. Then recently Rush took a few shots at Henry in regards to this.
Henry noted to TMZ that he has helped bring in many wrestlers of color to the WWE Performance Center.
“If you go down to the performance center at NXT, probably 25 I think, people of color in the facility, probably about 80 plus percent of them I helped get them there,” Mark Henry said to TMZ. “I mean, it’s completely opposite.”
“And, you can’t question my blackness. Like nobody can question my blackness, pull my black card. No, not allowed. Nobody,” Henry continued.
He then made reference to having Ivy League lawyers and considering legal action for slander.
“For him to go there was absolutely was the worst thing he could have possibly done. It’s one of those things if I take legal action for slander then… I’m not sure yet.”
“My lawyer went to Harvard. I don’t know what kinda lawyers he’s dealing with, but I got those Ivy League people around me, and they’re pissed!”
Henry’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Lio Rush Responds
Rush has since responded to Mark Henry’s comments to TMZ.
Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was released from WWE last month. At the time of his release, Rush had returned to the NXT brand where he was competing in the cruiserweight division. This followed a series of backstage reports regarding conflict between him and management on the main roster in the first half of 2019. During this period, Mark Henry criticized Rush on Busted Open Radio and publicly revealed a conversation the two had backstage.
Today, Rush put out a series of Tweets critical of Henry’s comments about him last year.
“Woke up remembering the time Mark Henry said I lied to him to his face & then continued to bury me on his podcast while telling me i need to learn how to spend my money better. S**t was crazy. Sorry man, i didn’t mean to have a wife and two kids on top of other responsibilities,” Rush Tweeted.
In May of 2019, Henry noted on Busted Open Radio that he tried to talk with Rush backstage about the problems he was experiencing on the main roster.
“I pulled him aside the last time I saw him and told him ‘I’m hearing stuff in the locker room. What’s wrong?’ He said nothing’s wrong. It was a blatant lie to my face. I let him know that if he has a question, right now is the time to do that,” Henry said.
Rush would later state that his issues with the company were financial.
“My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet & greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support,” Rush said to Fightful last year.
Lio Rush has an album available for download. His music is available at MusicByLio.com.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has shared what he believes RAW Superstar Apollo Crews needs to do to break through to the next level. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Henry expressed his belief that, from a talent perspective, Crews is able to capitalize on an opportunity if presented with one. He noted this sheer talent is why he sought him out and brought him into WWE in the first place.
Henry added how he’d love to see Apollo Crews with more “bells and whistles.” He believes he could succeed with the help of a manager and a “dominant” storyline.
The Hall of Famer would love to see him involved in a narrative that sees Crews have “something over somebody’s head.”
Apollo Crews Is Not Yet A Jedi Knight
Mark Henry stressed he means no disrespect when discussing Crews or his position. He pointed out how he has a strong knowledge of the Force. According to him, Crews “is not yet at the level of a full-fledge Jedi knight.”
Henry added how Apollo Crews isn’t at a Padawan level either but still has plenty of room for improvement.
Apollo Crews suffered an unfortunate injury during this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. It occurred during his matchup against WWE United States Champion Andrade. WWE has since pulled Crews from the Money in the Bank ladder match, stating he is not medically cleared to compete.
WWE has been teasing a new hacker gimmick on SmackDown recently and Mark Henry has a very interesting idea for the man behind the recent promos.
The WWE Hall Of Famer talked about a number of things during the latest episode of Busted Open Radio and also shared who he wants to be revealed as the man behind the hacker gimmick.
Henry made a very interesting suggestion saying that CM Punk
should be revealed as the man behind the recent promos and it could be his
introduction back to pro wrestling:
“I said it from the beginning that I was hoping that it would be CM Punk, that it would be his introduction back to pro wrestling. To be able to tell the story of ‘you want the truth?
I want to give you the truth, and I’ve been around here watching and I’ve exposed the truth at some small levels? But now I’m going to share the truth on everything.’”
Mark Henry went on to explain that this way you can have CM Punk “pipe-bomb the sh*t out of the wrestling business” and the former WWE Champion can be the lightning rod of hate in the company.
There is no word yet on what the company is planning for the hacker gimmick or who will be revealed as the man behind it but there are speculations that Mustafa Ali could be behind the recent promos.
What do you think about Mark Henry’s idea of revealing CM Punk as the hacker on SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has defended Ronda Rousey from fans and Superstars responding negatively to her recent comments. Rousey shared her opinion on wrestling fans during a recent interview. She argued that she shouldn’t have to spend her time and energy on “ungrateful fans” that don’t appreciate her or what she does.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry stated that Rousey was “100% right” right for feeling how she does. He believes people should show more appreciation for Rousey and other stars who came into pro wrestling from other sports.
Henry argued how, “Yes, you’re judged by a different grade. But every now and then, you get one or two or three people, like a Ronda Rousey and a Kurt Angle, who come into the sport and they’re so damn good, that what would it have looked like if they had been in forever?”
He added how Rousey deserves more respect and that her feelings towards competing full-time could be a result of the lack of respect she feels she has been given. He stated that the WWE Universe paid money to watch her fail, because “that’s what our fans do.”
According to him, fans are interested to see if someone from outside the wrestling industry can come in and succeed. He stressed how Rousey came in, “put both fingers up to the world” and showed everyone she could. Henry stated that she showed the world she was as good and passionate about pro wrestling as “every woman that came before her.”
Ronda Rousey recently discussed her future with the WWE and made comments about WWE fans. ?
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) April 11, 2020
Mark Henry On Recognition
Mark Henry noted how all she wanted was recognition for her ability and love for the pro wrestling. Henry said that, although 90% of fans gave her props, it was the 10% that “made Ronda Ronda Rousey not want to do pro wrestling full-time.”
Henry added how, to him, Ronda Rousey is a winner and has accomplished so much in under three years. He stressed how if fans paid her more respect, perhaps she would be more willing to compete and entertain the WWE Universe.
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