WWE legend reveals Vince McMahon wanted him to "rap and act black" and form a tag team with Mark Henry
The WWE Attitude Era is widely viewed as the most controversial period in pro wrestling history. The contentious content meant Vince McMahon and his writers continuously came up with unconventional storylines, but not all in good taste. A former WWE and AEW star has revealed new details on a pitch he and Mark Henry received during the Ruthless Aggression Era.
Matt Hardy worked with The World's Strongest Man more than 40 times in WWE between 1999 and 2010. Hardy joined AEW in 2020, while Henry followed in 2021, but both left the company this past Spring. Matt has previously talked about how Mr. McMahon wanted him and Henry to team up for a controversial reason.
Following John Cena's recent WWE retirement announcement, Matt took fan questions on Reby Hardy's TikTok account and was asked if he had any stories related to The Franchise Player. The veteran recalled his freestyle rap sessions with Cena during overseas tours, and how that led to McMahon asking him if he could "rap and act black" when pitching the idea of a tag team alliance with Henry.
"John [Cena] started doing the whole rapper gimmick and whenever we did European tours, we would have long bus rides. Sometimes four, five or six hours, and a lot of times, there was a group in the back that would do freestyle raps, and it would often come down to myself and John, and we’d be like the last two. Vince [McMahon], at one point, wanted to stick me with Mark Henry. He had an idea; he said, ‘Well, you can rap and act black, right?,’" Matt Hardy recalled. [H/T: POST Wrestling]
Matt continued:
"And he was gonna have me act like Mattitude was something that was oppressed like being a black person. He had an idea about that, and fortunately, that never materialized. I think Mark would’ve shut it down anyway, but I was gonna team with Mark Henry, and that was an idea Vince had because he heard about our epic freestyle rants on overseas buses.''
The last Henry vs. Hardy singles match took place in January 2009 at the WWE ECW taping. Hardy won the 11-minute main event that night, one week after a DQ win.
The duo worked as a tag team for the first time on RAW in December 2003 and were defeated by Booker T. and Maven. Their final stint as a tag team came on WWE ECW in August 2008, when they defeated The Miz and John Morrison.
WWE legend Mark Henry reveals goal following AEW departure
Mark Henry has left AEW after spending the past several years as a commentator and coach. The two-time Olympic competitor is now focused on his initiative to help children grow up with a foundation.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Senior Editor Bill Apter, The World's Strongest Man discussed his Mark Henry Strong Kids campaign. The 56-year-old said this is his #1 goal in post-AEW life.
"I needed time to focus some attention on Mark Henry Strong Kids. My lovechild, if you will, to the world, trying to teach kids how to not only get stronger physically, but get stronger mentally and emotionally, and explain to them how to be strong in willpower and discipline and also teach them how to compete. So, Mark Henry Strong Kids is number one," Mark Henry said. [1:50 – 2:27]
Henry talked more about how he's always had a passion for teaching kids what he's learned in his life. The former World Heavyweight Champion said he's not looking for money or fame, he's looking for statues and to be remembered.