In a recent episode of the “Insight” podcast, professional wrestler Mark Henry shared his experiences and challenges in the wrestling field. He opened up about his unfulfilled wish for a traditional retirement match, which was made impossible due to his physical constraints.
Here are some key points that were highlighted in the podcast discussion:
While discussing the unpredictability of professional wrestling, Henry said, “I had no idea that I could even do this. As a hard-core fan, news about my interest reached a few key people, and they suggested I should turn pro. Even when Vince McMahon called me once, I hung up, assuming it was a prank by one of my friends. But when it turned out to be true, and after an initial apology, Vince and I established a good rapport.”
Talking about his initial 10-year contract, Henry explained, “The concern was that they didn’t want to put in all the effort of training me and then see me sign with a competitor. But loyalty is in my nature, and I wouldn’t have done that. But still, it was clearly communicated that it would take around three to four years for me to truly understand the intricacies of the game. Then, they planned to keep me on contract for another five or six years so they could profit from my skills. Given this, I feel I more than recouped the investment made in my career.”
Henry was candid about his inability to have a retirement match, mainly due to his deteriorating health. He said, “My body refused to cooperate with my plans. My back completely gave out, and even though I have the option of a surgery, I keep procrastinating as I want to continue to move around freely. But eventually, I’m going to have to get it repaired.”
Recalling a challenging incident when he struggled to break a steel cage lock, Henry said, “It was a padlock and required immense strength to break. When it didn’t budge, I had to pull it with all my might. That moment was unexpected and probably unprecedented in wrestling. The pain lasted for nearly two weeks.”
You can watch the podcast below: [embedded content]