Mark Henry joined AEW in 2021 and after almost 3 years of service, there were rumors that his contract would expire in May 2024. In the last week of May, Mark himself confirmed that his contract with AEW would expire on May 28th and that he was not ready to renew it. Recently, Henry spoke in an interview about how he did not have the creative freedom he would have liked to have while working as a mentor and creative at AEW. On the other hand, he understood that it Tony KhanHe owned the company and wanted total control over it, as every business owner wants.
“To tighten the screws, you have to be able to get your tools out,” Mark said. When asked if AEW gave him that freedom, Mark replied, “No. At some point I realized I wasn’t there to tighten the screws, I was there to get exposure and visibility. That’s a horrible feeling when you’re creative and there are people doing good work that I like. They think and have their thought process. But even they can’t do everything they want to do because their action figures aren’t 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 understand that. Get your check and go home. Do whatever you’re told, be creative and make suggestions. Don’t put a face on when you’re told no.”
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion obviously didn’t have the best experience as a creative or mentor at WWE’s No. 1 rival and would have liked a little more freedom. On the contrary, he doesn’t regret his time in the company and understands that whoever runs the show wants to have full control. For example, a few days ago it was reported that Mark’s son Jacob Henry would join WWE and a contract would be signed. Subsequently, it was officially confirmed that Jacob had indeed signed a contract with WWE while continuing his college wrestling career.
