"I was surprised" - AEW veteran on Mark Henry leaving the WWE banner
AEW broadcaster Jim Ross recently stated that he was as surprised as fans when Mark Henry showed up at Double or Nothing as one of the promotion's latest acquisition.
Henry created ripples across the wrestling universe with his move to Tony Khan's promotion. He became the latest veteran in line to depart WWE in search of greener pastures after Paul Wight and Christian earlier this year.
On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross discussed several topics, including Mark Henry joining AEW as an analyst and coach. JR stated that Henry has a keen eye for talent and could provide valuable insights to AEW stars.
The legendary broadcaster also spoke about how, with the presence of Henry, AEW: Rampage shouldn't be mistaken for just another run-of-the-mill show.
“He likes helping others,” Ross said. “You know he’s got a good eye for talent, he’s coachable, he likes to mentor so that was pretty cool. It gives me credence that the Friday night show Rampage is not going to be a throw away, it’s not a space filler. I was kind of surprised that Mark got out from under the WWE banner and is coming to work with our team", said Ross (H/T - WrestlingInc)
JR further said he was surprised to see Henry leave WWE's banner after such a long stint and join a younger team in AEW.
Jim Ross believes Mark Henry will wrestle in AEW
Jim Ross sounded optimistic about Mark Henry returning to the ring in AEW, saying that he's still got the itch to wrestle and can compete in a match it two sometime down the line.
JR also praised AEW for ensuring Henry's debut remained a secret and that there were no leaks ahead of his arrival on the May 30th pay-per-view. Ross concluded by saying that he's excited to see Henry don multiple hats in AEW.
“It’s a win-win for everybody I believe and it also opens the door potentially down the road for Mark to have another match or two. He’s still got the itch, it seems to me like. I didn’t see him all day, so they kept him sequestered all day. It didn’t leak, it never got out and he’ll do a real good job there. He’ll be a part of the team on a regular, on going basis in multiple roles.” said JR
With Mark Henry himself teasing a return to in-ring completion on last week's AEW Dynamite, it'll be intriguing to see who steps up as The World's Strongest Man's first opponent.
Do you think Mark Henry will be a valuable addition to AEW's programming? Whom do you wish to see as the first opponent for Henry? Sound off in the comments section below.