Mark Henry praises "tough" WWE star, says she "was meant for wrestling" (Exclusive)
Mark Henry worked for WWE between 1996 and 2021 after making his name in powerlifting and weightlifting. In an exclusive interview, The World's Strongest Man explained why Jade Cargill's journey to WWE fills him with pride.
In 2018, Cargill began pursuing a career in wrestling after previously playing basketball and working as a model. The 32-year-old initially trained with veteran coach Rip Rogers after asking Henry for advice on how to break into the wrestling industry.
Henry has helped several wrestlers during their early days in WWE and elsewhere in the business. In conversation with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, he spoke highly of the SmackDown star's improvement in recent years:
"She's tough, man," Henry said. "She was meant for wrestling. Just like Braun Strowman was. Just like Apollo Crews and Bryan Danielson and anybody else that I've helped in my life. Bianca Belair. I love seeing people do well, especially ones that call me and they reach a level of success, and they go, 'Man, I appreciate you believing in me and giving me the right direction.'" [4:59 – 5:34]
Jade Cargill wrestled for AEW between 2020 and 2023 before signing with WWE. Mark Henry added that he never wanted anything in return from the former Women's Tag Team Champion or anyone else he has assisted:
"The one thing that everybody that I've ever helped, I've never asked them for a dime. Ain't nobody never paid me a dime because I never asked nobody for nothing." [5:35 – 5:51]
Watch the video above to hear more from Henry on Cargill's WWE tag team partnership with Bianca Belair.
Mark Henry's reaction to seeing Jade Cargill for the first time
After connecting through a mutual friend, Mark Henry saw a picture of Jade Cargill and initially thought she might not take wrestling seriously.
Henry assumed the WWE star was more interested in modeling and looking good than having the work ethic to become a wrestler:
"She sent me a picture and I said, 'Damn.' She was even more muscle because I think she was doing like bodybuilding. She was really muscled up. I was like, 'Man.' She was posing by the poolside and all of that stuff, and I was thinking, 'She ain't gonna be tough enough for wrestling.'" [3:42 – 4:15]
Six years on, Cargill is among the hottest prospects in WWE's women's division. On August 2, she will join forces with Bianca Belair to challenge Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn for the Women's Tag Team Championship on SmackDown.
What would you like to see next from Jade Cargill? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Find out more information about Mark Henry's Be ReMarkable Brand and the Strong Kids program via themarkhenry.com.
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