Former Universal Champion says without Mark Henry, he would not have made it to WWE
Mark Henry can look back at his 25-year WWE career with a lot of pride, although there are quite a few other accomplishments under his belt. The World's Strongest Man is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 1996), a former powerlifter, weightlifter, and strongman, and he also had a run in AEW as a commentator between 2021 and 2024.
The veteran has also taken several young talents under his wing and has had a lasting impact on their careers. Recently, former Universal Champion Braun Strowman opened up about Henry's impact on his career.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, The Monster Of All Monsters detailed everything the former World Heavyweight Champion did for him when he was young and "lost."
"This man saw something in a hungry young kid that was lost and didn't know what he was doing in life, but he wanted to do something. Put his name on the line, got me down, got me a tryout, picked me up at the airport, was there for my tryout, took me out to dinner, took me out for some extracurricular activities afterwards, we'll leave it at that," he said. [H/T: Wrestling INC]
Mark Henry was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and is currently running All Caribbean Wrestling. He recently opened up about a potential collaboration with the Sports Entertainment juggernaut in the future.
WWE star Braun Strowman acknowledges people's support during his career
Braun Strowman made his main roster debut in 2015 as part of The Wyatt Family. The 40-year-old went on to headline major events for the promotion and defeated some of the top stars in the company. He defeated the legendary Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 to claim the WWE Universal Championship. Despite being released in 2021, he returned to the promotion a year later.
During the same episode of the Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry revealed he took Strowman to a strip club. The World's Strongest Man jokingly said that he was a good recruiter. However, the former WWE Universal Champion chipped in and said that he was humble enough to be grateful to people who have helped him during his career, including Mark Henry.
"I thank the Lord every day for the people I have in my life; they have given me that opportunity and helped me along the way to be myself. He didn't give me nothing [sic] easy; he gave me the tools; he got the door open for me, and I had to go in and do the work," he added. [H/T: Wrestling INC]
Strowman also revealed his desire to win his next world title in front of 100,000 fans, given his Universal Title victory came at an empty Performance Center at WrestleMania 36 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It will be interesting to see if The Monster Among Men manages to fulfill his desire in the coming months.