In a recent episode of WWE SmackDown, famous wrestler AJ Styles tantalized his fans with the prospect of his retirement, only to surprise audiences by assaulting Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
This maneuver has been traced back to Mark Henry’s deceptive retirement scheme that took place earlier in the 2010s, a move that many think was the inspiration behind AJ’s unexpected attack. Henry recently talked about this episode during a chat with Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful.
During the interview, Henry shared,
“Absolutely loved it. That feeling of pride takes over me when my work is appreciated, and this WrestleMania, Bianca Belair managed to execute a Mark Henry move, literally walked up the steps and threw her opponent into the ring. Instances like these, they were replicated by Braun Strowman several times, left me with a gratifying sense of achievement. I could liken it to the feeling of a proud father, especially when I received a text message from AJ Styles saying, ‘Man, I hope I made you proud.’ That was a moment that brought tears to my eyes. The fact that you can impact people, I believe sometimes it means far more than performing the act yourself. I may not have justified it adequately with words, but it stirred emotions in me powerful enough to moisten my eyes, and that’s nothing short of damn special.”