Mark Henry entered the wrestling business in 1996, signing with WWE the same year he competed in the summer Olympics.
Henry worked for WWE through the Attitude Era where wrestling went to new heights thanks to the Monday Night Wars and the rise of the likes of the NWO, Steve Austin, and The Rock. He was also around when John Cena was the face of WWE.
Now with AEW, Henry has seen just about everything in wrestling and speaking to "Swerve" Strickland on the Swerve City podcast, Henry discussed his experience and how things have evolved when it comes to the brand becoming bigger than a single wrestler.
"We don't hold people to the same standard as the other industries. If we all collectively said, 'erase them, block them, ban them, don't talk to them.' I guarantee people would stop doing it, but we don't work together," Henry said when discussing people leaking information and general negativity surrounding wrestling. "We don't work with a code in wrestling. Some of it is, the same way I always say, it's hard for black people to work together in concert because over the years we were told 'that's the way it's supposed to be.' There is a conditioning process in the wrestling business. 'Don't ever tell anyone how much money you made. Don't tell people the contracts you're doing.' You have to keep some of this secret, but there are structural things like insurance and medical, you have a wife, children, I have a daughter with Crohn's. I need insurance. Why wouldn't I tell another guy, 'you negotiate your deal, put insurance in, tell them you need insurance. You got a family issues.' We have to help educate every body. Dave (LeGreca) and I do that because it's the right thing to do. Going back to the point, every body doesn't work together."
"Swerve" picked up the conversation, discussing how the system is designed when it comes to top stars.
"Isn't that the system set up to...they take care of the top name people, the number one, the draw. They keep them in there because if those guys start making those same complaints to try and help the others out, the whole system starts changing, and I don't think the system wants to change itself. I think they want to make sure these guys are separate from every body else so we don't get that and these guys don't talk to them about these things and these other guys don't get this special privilege because they are getting taken care of. If they reach out and try to help these others, they are sacrificing their benefits. If they keep them up there, away from everybody, like certain people are getting certain treatment because they wouldn't help the others," said Strickland.
Henry continued, saying how it used to be the name on the card that would draw in the building.
"We're the big draw, we're the reason everybody comes. They put our name at the top and we automatically get 5,000 people paid, just by having our name on it. We talked about that with Hogan. They have shows at The Garden and they would sell 4,000 tickets but if Hogan's name was on the card [they would sell out]," he said.
Dave LeGreca echoed Henry's sentiment about Hogan selling out venues when he was announced for the event.
Henry was then asked by "Swerve" if the business would get one individual being bigger than the brand and drawing in ways that Hogan did.
"The companies don't want that," he replied. "They don't want one person to have that...'it aint no reason for one man to have all that power.' They don't want a guy to be that. The Rock, to where they can call their shots. 'I don't necessary want to do that.' 'What do you mean you don't want to do it?' 'I don't want to do that.' End of it. You are the owner of the company you don't want that power. You don't want one dude to have that power. People like Steve Austin, Undertaker, they can just say no. Okay, moving right along, what's next. You don't even argue with them. It's all about the brand. Point at that WrestleMania sign is more important than your career. It's more important than the main event and anyone that is on it. They can put anybody they want on the show, they want [WrestleMania] to be the prominent thing. Not just WWE, but AEW, New Japan, every company. They want the company to flourish, and they should. It's their company. I'm not mad, I'm just saying, spread the wealth and don't lie about it or put the wool over nobody eyes. Let it be known. I'd rather you tell me, 'Mark, I just don't want to do that.' 'If we do that with you, we have to do that with other people. We can't afford, as a company, to do that.' 'Okay, well what about this contract and this contract, we can't focus on that?' 'That's not for you to decide Mark.' 'Okay,' because I'm going to push the envelope, I always did"
It was noted through the conversation that "being bigger than the brand" didn't apply to just wrestling with Henry and "Swerve" using the Super Bowl as an example of an event drawing more than the participants.
Henry and "Swerve" are currently signed to AEW.
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