AEW star says Vince McMahon talked him out of quitting WWE

An AEW star recently opened up on how Vince McMahon convinced him to extend his tenure in WWE.

Mark Henry is one of the most celebrated veterans in the pro-wrestling industry. The Hall of Famer has performed in some of the most memorable matches in WWE. He has also bagged the World Heavyweight Title once.

The World's Strongest Man had apparently made up his mind to retire in 2013. However, he revealed on the Attitude Era podcast that Vince McMahon had convinced him to reconsider.

"During that time, my contract was expiring, and I was thinking about taking a break, so I went probably about 6-8 months basically really preparing myself for retirement," Henry said. "So it was like 50-50, and then Vince talked to me and said, 'You know what? I think this would be a really good time to pull the wool over people. Everybody thinks you're going to retire, but you won't re-sign. What's the deal? Is it more money, this or that?'" (H/T: WrestlingInc)

Mark Henry further stated that Vince McMahon talked him into turning it into an angle, which led to his final feud with John Cena. He also confessed that his speech for his fake retirement was his own feelings, which he used for authenticity. The angle revitalized Henry's career and kicked off his iconic 'Hall of Pain' gimmick, which resulted in World Title success.

Mark Henry had an interesting reason for switching to AEW rather than staying with Vince McMahon

While Mark had a significant run at the Stamford-based promotion, he ultimately decided AEW was a better place to be after his in-ring retirement.

Speaking on the Attitude Era podcast, Henry explained that Vince McMahon did not hire him on the executive side due to his lack of experience. The former ECW Champion later proved that he could do the job after joining Tony Khan's company.

I left [WWE] after I retired. I wanted to be more on the executive side, they wouldn't hire me on the executive side. I didn't have enough experience, the technical education, and going to AEW proved that I knew what I was doing. I was helping other people at WWE with their jobs. People were like, 'Hey, man, can you help me with this?' I was always helping. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)

Mark Henry’s Hall of Pain run appreciation tweet. https://t.co/4d3DX6owTr

As of now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the Hall of Famer.

Do you think Mark Henry is better off in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below!