Mark Henry spoke with USA Today‘s For The Win regarding his WWE Hall Of Fame induction announcement; you can read a few highlights below:
Mark Henry comments on when he got the call about his WWE Hall Of Fame induction:
It was a little while back. I was in Los Angeles with the powers that be… it was just an overwhelming feeling, you know? My face got hot. A couple of tears fell, and you felt like, instantly, all of the pain and torment that you put your body through, the sacrifices that you made – they were worth it. It paid it all off.
Henry comments on learning to be humble:
I was having a lot of problems just from fighting and pushing people in the face…. I couldn’t handle somebody talking trash to me that I know I could whup. And the only reason they were talking like that is because it was the wrestling business, and they could get away with it.
I think one of the primary reasons for my getting it together was Owen Hart. Owen Hart said ‘listen, the only reason they’re messing with you is because you react.’ Around that time, Vince sent me to Canada to kind of learn locker room etiquette and to be away from the main talent – because everybody that messed with me, I wanted to fight. I had to learn how to exist in the locker room.
…. I spent nine months in Calgary in Canada, working at Bret Hart’s house with Leo Burke. I learned an unbelievable amount during that time period. Then I went to Louisville, Kentucky, to Ohio Valley Wrestling, for a year.
As crazy as Jimmy Cornette was, Jimmy Cornette was the most studied and taught me a lot about history and respect in the business. I appreciate him for that. Danny Davis and Rip Rogers, they were so instrumental in teaching me and getting me in the best shape I had ever been in. They were the next step. I got to Louisville and I found myself. I wish that I had that two years back and did that when I first started wrestling, but that’s not the way God had it lined up for me.
Henry comments on where he ranks facing Undertaker at Wrestlemania:
Oh it’s in the top three. It may be No. 1. It’s a toss-up between winning the World Championship and that match, because there would be no World Championship if I didn’t have that time working against him.
I learned a lot. I learned that you have to be able to raise your game when you’re in the ring with someone that’s superior to you. And I looked at him as being superior – and I had never really had that in my life. I never thought that nobody was better than me, and I wanted to raise my game to where I didn’t feel that way. And, of course, I don’t think there will ever be anybody that’s equal to The Undertaker, including my all-time favorite Andre The Giant.
How does Henry want to be remembered?
I definitely hope they remember the strength element, but more than anything I would say remember the fact that I was not selfish. That I was able to share not only my time, but I taught the future. There’s a lot of guys in this business, you can go into that locker room right now and I guarantee you I had an influence on more than half, because I tried to. It was intentional. That is something that I hang my hat on.
…. I used my celebrity to endorse and help other people [and work with] a lot of the charities. Nobody could ever say Mark Henry said ‘no.’ Because I tried to help as many people as I could my entire career, and I was happy to do so.
