Any great wrestling character must have one trait that elevates them to the highest level among the greatest of all time: the ability to work the audience. For former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, his emotionally memorable in-ring retirement cleverly manipulated and swerved the audience, his colleagues, and even his wife when he presented it as a ruse in 2013.In an interview with "Monopoly Events,"the "World's Strongest Man" reflects on what he describes as a joyous night for him but an unhappy moment for those he deceived who were closest to him.
"I knew it was going to work because everybody that I knew, I just lied to their face," Henry chuckled. "For like a year, I told people that I was retiring the people that was the closet [to me]. My wife did not know. She was prepared for me to retire and start doing what I'm doing now. And then when I did what I did, like every voicemail I had was like, 'You b***ard! Don't you ever lie to me like that again."
After his fake retirement speech, Henry laid out John Cena, who was the most stunned member of the entire roster upon hearing of his retirement. Henry continued working as an in-ring wrestler until WrestleMania 33 before transitioning to a producer for WWE. His 25-year career in WWE remains unmatched. Henry went on to work as an expertanalyst, coach, and scout for WWE's biggest rival in modern history, AEW, from May 30, 2021, until May 27, 2024.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Monopoly Events" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
