Mark Henry has revealed that his emotional "retirement" in WWE — the now-iconic moment when he appeared in a salmon-colored suit jacket and gave a tearful farewell speech — was never supposed to be part of the plan. According to Henry, he genuinely wanted to retire from in-ring competition, but Vince McMahon had other plans.

In a conversation with Poker Scout, the WWE Hall of Famer detailed how his infamous “Hall of Pain” era came to be, and how McMahon convinced him to delay retirement — going so far as to get him to sign a brand-new three-year deal instead.

“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,” Henry admitted. “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.’”

According to Henry, what began as a straightforward conversation with the WWE Chairman quickly turned into a persuasive pitch that only McMahon could deliver. What was supposed to be a goodbye ended with Henry committing to more years inside the squared circle.

“So we spoke for probably another hour of him trying to get me not to pack it up and go home,” he continued. “And I do not 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.”

That attack on Cena led to a high-profile WWE Championship feud, reigniting Henry’s career and ushering in one of his most memorable runs with the company. According to Henry, Vince McMahon saw the opportunity and seized it.

“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.”

Visit WrestlingNewsSource.Com⚡ Backstage Clash Ruined WWE Plans for Joe Hendry and The Miz Feud

WWE's plans to feature Joe Hendry in a storyline were scrapped due to creative disagreements with TNA's Ariel Shnerer, leading to Ethan Page's inclusion instead.

— Ben Kerin Apr 14, 2025 03:56AM