"I hung up on him" - Mark Henry recalls a phone call with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
AEW star Mark Henry recently recalled a hilarious incident when he hung up a phone call on WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, thinking it was one of his friends playing a prank on him.
Henry and McMahon are no strangers to each other as they have had a long-standing association, dating back to 1996 when the former joined WWE. After achieving virtually everything in the global juggernaut, Mark Henry departed the company after 25 years and joined AEW in May 2021.
Appearing on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Henry recalled several moments from his career, including the first phone call from Vince McMahon. He revealed that once he found success in weightlifting, people began approaching him to work in the wrestling business, of which he was a life-long fan.
The AEW star disclosed that the first time Vince McMahon gave him a phone call, he mistook the WWE Chairman for a friend playing a prank. Though he was embarrassed by this, McMahon told Henry it wasn't the first time something like this happened with him.
"I started getting calls from people that were fans, one of which was a guy named Milo Snyborn, who was a lifting guy, but he also wrestled a bit. He got me in contact with Vince, and Vince called me one day. I thought it was one of the guys I watch wrestling with joking, so I hung up on him. He was like, 'That's not the first that happened,'" said Mark Henry.
Mark Henry reveals he was the first developmental wrestler in WWE
Mark Henry revealed that once Vince McMahon invited him to Connecticut, there was no looking back. He further stated that for the first three years in WWE, he was "horrible" in the ring.
The AEW star also disclosed that some people backstage were unhappy with his recruitment in WWE and weren't willing to teach him. However, according to Mark Henry, the company's developmental system was soon set up, of which he became the first developmental wrestler.
"I came into the business, he invited me to Connecticut, and I never left. As far as making it, the first three years, I was horrible. Because during that time, people thought I was trying to take their job. So nobody wanted to teach me. So they created the developmental system, and I was the first developmental wrestler," said Mark Henry.
Despite all the initial setbacks, it's safe to say Mark Henry went onto carve a successful career in WWE and that his achievements continue to inspire athletes from other sports who hope to transition to wrestling.
What are your thoughts on Mark Henry's WWE career? Do you think he should have remained under WWE's umbrella for the rest of his career? Sound off in the comments section below.
Please credit the AEW Unrestricted podcast and H/T Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any of the above quotes.