Henry continues to talk about his time at AEW.

At AEW Double or Nothing 2021, it was announced that Mark Henry would be joining the company. He joined the Rampage commentary team and also took on a behind-the-scenes role working with AEW’s community outreach program.

Henry’s time with the company ended in May 2024 when his contract expired. He dove into his time there and his departure while chatting with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas on their Huge Pop podcast. Henry said he realized he wasn’t in AEW to “tighten the screws,” but rather to get recognition and visibility. He went on to bat away a comment from DaSilvia that interpreted Mark as saying there was a maturity issue in AEW.

Henry said it’s Tony Khan’s company and he can do whatever he wants. He believes the difference is that with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, he can rely on the experienced minds around him. Henry believes AEW’s ratings are a byproduct of vetting people. He explained that the last “competition” featured CM Punk vs. MJF and Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes. Henry expressed that people would agree with him if they weren’t afraid of losing their jobs and/or not getting paid.

He said he took a pay cut to work for AEW. As far as working with talent and consulting goes, he enjoyed it, but there were also a few “black sheep.”

To tighten the screws, you have to be able to get your toolbox out. No (AEW didn’t give me a screwdriver to work with). So at some point I realized I wasn’t there to tighten the screws. I was there to get my name out there and be visible and that’s a terrible feeling when you’re creative and there are people doing good work that I like who think and their thought processes. But even they can’t do everything they want to do. Because it’s not their action figures that are being played with. So you have to do what you’re told. If I own a company, you best believe you’re doing what I tell you or you’re not working for me. So I get it. Get your check and go home. Do what you’re told, take care of your creativity and make a suggestion, don’t make a face when you’re told no.

No, you said that (Henry responded when the co-host said Henry was implying there was a maturity issue in AEW). Yeah, you’re wrong because it’s Tony’s company and Tony can do whatever he wants… You can make all the suggestions in the world. But if he doesn’t want to do that, he won’t do that. The same goes for Triple H running WWE. He’s the boss. But the difference is Triple H relies on being surrounded by brilliant minds and he’ll say, “You know what? I think it would go better this way, but we’ll do it your way to see,” and if it works out, “Yeah, man, good job. That was a good decision. That’s a good decision.” If he messes up, “Uh, we should have done it my way,” or “I’ll give someone else a chance to make a decision next time.” You’re still giving the cake in different directions. You have to get things done on time too. I like to rehearse at noon or 1 p.m. I don’t want to be under pressure at 3 or 4 p.m. to put a show together. Because now people are under pressure and they’re like, “Ah.” Some people don’t do well under pressure. So there are a lot of things you can change. But when you look at the ratings, they’re not good, and that’s a byproduct of the fact that there are some people who have already mentally shut down. They’ve taken their ball and gone home. They’ve given up. “Hey, whatever you want to do. Ah, I don’t care.” And then when you hear, “I don’t care. I’ll do whatever you tell me,” that’s not good. You can’t win. Now there’s no competition. Pro wrestling is based on the fact that it’s art imitating life. We’re imitating competition. We’re putting on a show. But we want you to feel like there’s a competition going on. Tell me when was the last time you saw a match. I’ll tell you. The last time you saw a match was CM Punk and MJF, and before that it was Cody Rhodes and Dustin (Rhodes), brother against brother. That was the competition. The competitive nature of the matches, and you can name two or three matches that go along those lines. But they’re not above those two matches, and you have the people that were in those matches, and I don’t know. I don’t want to come across — I’m not whining and I’m not complaining. I’m stating the facts. If people weren’t afraid of losing their jobs, getting fired or not getting paid, they’d say, “Yeah, you’re right.” But right now, everyone’s going to say, “No, Mark Henry is just mad and bitter.” I’m not mad and bitter. I took a pay cut to work in AEW. Don’t get me wrong.” I went there because I wanted to get leadership experience and I wanted to help the company succeed and help the people there become better than they were. And if you ask the talent, did Mark Henry try to help you? Absolutely. All the time. He came and told me that and I tried and they came and said, “Man! That was good! Thanks.” That’s what I worked for. I worked for the high fives from guys and gals that came back and then there are a few black sheep and the black sheep have to be disciplined. Oh, they discipline people now. But when I was there, nobody was suspended or disciplined. I don’t remember.

Later in the conversation, Henry said he heard from a reliable source that AEW Vice President QT Marshall called him “stupid.” Henry never mentioned it to Marshall. He doesn’t believe Marshall said it, and if he did, he was joking.

When Henry spoke about the match producers, he felt like their hands were tied. He reiterated that they wouldn’t admit it, but one day it would come out. He went back to his comment about having to take a pay cut. He added that he has company insurance from AEW. When it comes to the company’s marketing of shows, he feels like there is a “gap” in that department.

Concluding his comments, Henry said that as long as nothing negative is said about him in AEW, he will not speak out about his time there. He wants AEW to succeed because it gives the wrestlers, referees and production crew an advantage. He mentioned that there are some people in office positions that should not be there.

I love Sonjay (Dutt), Pat Buck, QT (Marshall) — I heard on good authority that QT called me stupid, and you know what? I looked at his face every day and smiled and said, ‘What’s up, man? How are you?’ You know how I can do that? Because first of all, I know it’s not true, and second of all, if he said it, he probably said it in jest. Mark Henry is probably stupid for coming in here and taking a toned-down role. I’m sure there were a few extras before or after. I’m not murdering anybody, and when I say on good authority, I mean I know that person would take a bullet for me… These guys have worked their butts off to get into the positions that they have, and they’re very good at what they do, and they work for the best production company in the world. They know what they’re doing, what their role is. But they’re tied down by doing what they’re told and they won’t admit that because they have a good job, a good gig. But one day the story will be told and I won’t look so “angry” because I’m not. When I said I took a pay cut to go to AEW, the best part was the insurance. I had company insurance and I didn’t have to pay the maximum anymore. Because with my weight and the size of my family, I was paying over $4,000 a month just for the insurance. When I say I took a pay cut, I mean I could easily be making $40,000 a month. God really blessed me and I have irons in the fire that far exceeded what I was making there. So I’m not bitter at all. But the people in charge have to have power, and I wish they did, but they don’t, and there are people in the office that shouldn’t be in the office. Because they’ve never been here before. They don’t understand the nuances of how to get over it. Sometimes grassroots marketing. Can we do grassroots marketing? Can we go to hair salons like we used to? Social media is not the only means of advertising and letting people know you’re coming to town. How can I go to a market and go to a gym, a popular gym in a city, and they say there’s wrestling here? Wait a minute, what? Tonight? So the marketing… there’s a gap in marketing, and then why would you book a show in a city — the same city as the biggest music festival in the world. I challenge you to look at the calendar. Hotel rooms are $400 to $700 a night, and now people have to drive 40 miles out of town to get a hotel. Oh, I lived through that. So don’t make me write a book about it because then everyone’s going to say, “Oh God. That happened?” I don’t want to make a disclosure. I try to keep my mouth shut. As long as nothing negative is said about me, I keep my mouth shut. You’re probably thinking, “Oh my God. I wish they would say something bad about Mark Henry so he can just spill the beans.” I want them to succeed because that gives the wrestler an advantage, the referees, the lighting people, the sound people, the producers, the lighting guys, the truck drivers an advantage. All of those people have jobs because of AEW and I want them to have them. I want them to succeed.

Henry’s son Jacob Henry announced that he has signed a NIL contract with WWE. To read Jacob’s thoughts on this decision, check out this article.

When using quotes in this article, please credit Huge Pop featuring Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas and provide transcriptions to POST Wrestling.