Mark Henry talked about his time working for Tony Khan at AEW.

Following reports that his contract was expiring, Mark Henry confirmed on May 27 that his AEW contract will expire on May 28 and he will not be seeking a renewal. Henry now works as a booker for All Caribbean Wrestling.

In a new interview with HUGE POP!, Mark Henry talked about feeling creatively stifled in AEW. While Henry understands that Tony Khan is ultimately responsible for the decisions made in the company, it was frustrating not being able to showcase his own talent and creativity during his time in the company.

To tighten the screws, you have to be able to pull out your toolbox. 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 a 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 better believe you’re doing what I tell you or you’re not working for me. So I get that. Get your check and go home. Do what you’re told, be creative and make a suggestion. Don’t make a face when you’re turned down.

Mark Henry says Tony Khan and Triple H are ultimately responsible for all decisions at AEW and WWE

When a co-host suggested that there was a maturity issue with some of the talent in AEW, Mark Henry said that was incorrect as Tony Khan was ultimately responsible for the decisions in his company. He continued:

Yes, you’re wrong because it’s Tony’s company and Tony can do whatever he wants… You can make all kinds of suggestions. But if he doesn’t want to do it, he won’t do it.

The same goes for Triple H running the WWE. He’s the boss. But the difference is Triple H relies on having brilliant minds around him, 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, then, “Yeah, man, good job. That was a good call. That’s a good call.” If he messes up, then, “Uh, we should have done it my way,” or, “Next time, I’ll give someone else a chance to make a decision.”

You’re still dividing the pie in different directions. You also have to get things done in a timely manner. I like rehearsals at noon or 1pm. I don’t want to be under pressure to put a show together at 3pm or 4pm. Because now people are under pressure and they say, “Ah.” Some people don’t do well under pressure.

According to Mark Henry, there is a lot that could be improved at AEW, but many of the people working there are already mentally absent.

So there are a lot of things you can change. But when you look at the ratings, it doesn’t look good. 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 surrendered. “Hey, whatever you want. Oh, 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. There’s no competition now.

Pro wrestling is based on the fact that it is art imitating life. We imitate competition. We put on a show. But we want you to feel like there is competition going on. Tell me when was the last time you saw a competition. I’ll tell you. The last time you saw a competition 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 games. You can name two or three games that go in that direction. But they’re not above those two games. And you have the people that were in those games, and I don’t know.

Mark Henry makes it clear that he is not bitter about his time at AEW

Mark Henry believes that if people were less concerned about their jobs, they would agree with his constructive criticism of AEW. He wants to make it clear that he is not bitter about his time there and wants the company to make the necessary changes to be successful.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not whining and 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 saying, “No, Mark Henry is just angry and bitter.” I’m not angry and bitter.

I took a pay cut to work at AEW. Don’t get me wrong. I went there because I wanted to get experience as an executive and I wanted to help the company succeed and help the people there be 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 it out 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 girls that came back, and then there are a few black sheep, and the black sheep have to be punished. Oh, now people are being punished. But when I was there, nobody was suspended or punished. I don’t remember.

h/t POST Wrestling