WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry joined AEW in 2021 as a coach and commentator. It was considered a huge defection at the time and came after the World's Strongest Man grew unhappy with WWE's decision not to offer him a behind-the-scenes role.
On hs way out the door, Henry chose to tell former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon that he'd help AEW beat WWE in the ratings!
"I told Vince, I said, 'Hey, man, I'm gonna over there and try to make that place better, and kick your a*s in the ratings.' [Laughs] And Vince is like, 'I know you are.' And it wasn't like there was an argument or fussing or fighting," he recalled. "We ended on good terms, and I thought that was a lesson that a lot of people need to learn. Everything has seasons."
For a time, AEW did make short work of NXT in the ratings and started approaching the viewership numbers of RAW and SmackDown. However, Triple H taking charge of WWE creative changed everything and interest in AEW has since declined significantly.
Henry has since left AEW and parted with them on good terms as well. He's since started doing some work with WWE again, including being part of a recent A&E documentary about his life and career.
Asked whether he considers himself to be part of the WWE family again, Henry added, "Yes, I do. What we are talking about right now is a WWE deal. They produced it, I know all those guys, like...and I'm running it up the flagpole. I want to have the producers on to talk about this down the road."
"Like, the stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor, it was a year and a half, and there was a lot of stuff that we didn't use, and I want to ask them some questions."
WWE is a different place on Triple H's watch and we'd say there's a very good chance Henry soon starts working backstage. There's a lot he can bring to the table in that role and his insights into shaping future talent are something WWE should definitely take advantage of.
We'll see what happens but Henry is the latest wrestler to return to WWE after trying his luck in AEW, a company which sorely underutilized him during the time he spent working for them since 2021.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.