It has been several years since Mark Henry held a championship in WWE but apparently, hw has been helping one of the current title holders refine his gimmick.
During an appearance on a recent episode of MVP's VIP Lounge podcast, Henry said he was transitioning into an "office-type role" with the company. As part of that, Henry said, he helped Neville develop his current heel persona.
According to Henry, he approached WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to vouch for Neville and his talents.
"We talked about storylines and how to make him a f*cking killer and all of this stuff. It worked. They used to treat Neville like Mighty Mouse and I told Vince, I said, 'Hey, Neville is somebody I just believe in. … He's a legitimate tough guy. He's 5-6 or whatever it is but if you had to put him against a bunch of dudes you got in your locker room right now, I think Neville would kick their ass.' I told Neville, 'You have to believe it. If you don't believe it, it's not going to happen.' " I told him, 'You need to be me.' That motherf*cker is killing. I love Nevile's shit right now."
Henry said he has given Neville some tips along the way. That advice included teasing his Red Arrow finisher, only to climb off the ropes and apply his Rings of Saturn submission hold for the finish. That was the precise conclusion to Neville's match with the now-recently released Austin Aries at WrestleMania. Henry went on to say that a tearful Neville thanked him backstage after that match.
"Eventually you've got to go from being a talent to being a guy that makes talent. I love the fact he's had the success because it's got my fingerprints, but I love the fact he's had success because it's just f-cking good for the business," Henry said.
Henry has not appeared on WWE programming, or had a match, since coming up short in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania.
