Mark Henry’s reputation as one of the toughest men in WWE history was never in question—but even the World’s Strongest Man has his breaking point.
During a sit-down on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker and Michelle McCool, Henry opened up about a backstage incident that pushed him beyond his limit, revealing the one moment in his career that left him more embarrassed than any other.
Henry recalled a night where he was supposed to wrestle Sin Cara. As he stood in the ring waiting, the production team began playing entrance themes—first Sin Cara’s, then Rey Mysterio’s, then Vader’s—but no one came out. It was all part of a prank, orchestrated to get a reaction. And they got one. After being strung along, Henry attempted to speak to the live crowd and maintain professionalism—but WWE cut his mic, and that’s when things exploded.
“That time, Vince ribbed me in the ring. Like, I went out. I was supposed to wrestle Sin Cara. And they said, ‘Hold on a second, he’s got a knee brace issue.’ And I’m looking at Scott… I’m like, ‘You mean to tell me that he’s back there all this time and he can’t get his knee brace together?’ And I’m mad. Then they play his music. And he doesn’t come down. I said, ‘Man, what’s going on?’ Then they play Rey Mysterio’s music. All right, guys, this ain’t funny no more. Then they play Vader—‘It’s time! It’s Vader Time.’ Not happy. Not happy at all.”
After his final warning fell on deaf ears, Henry took the mic to speak directly to the fans.
“I said, ‘Listen, guys, this ain’t funny. These people paid hard-earned money…’ They cut the mic off. I threw the mic down and started power walking. Vince and all of them run, get in the limos, and they drive off to the airport.”
What happened next was pure destruction.
“All the TVs in Gorilla had a fist print in them. All the tables got broke. The operating board got broke… And you know those metal push doors in Vince’s office? I kicked it and missed the bar and hit the support—and it ripped out of the concrete.”
Backstage talent scattered. Even then-writer Ryan Ward got caught in the chaos.
“Poor little Ryan Ward was in there. He was like, ‘Mark! It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it! They went that way!’ He did not want no smoke.”
Still fuming, Henry ran to the parking lot and called Vince McMahon directly.
“I called Vince on his phone, cussed him out, told him I was gonna kick his ass when I saw him. I said, ‘I’m done. You can keep this.’ I went off.”
According to Henry, this wasn’t just a tantrum—it was deeper than that. The emotional fallout was real.
“That was the worst I ever felt in wrestling. I mean, I had people say racist things. I had people… that were just deplorable. But that? That was embarrassing. Because it was me, man. I did nothing but try to make the business better.”
This raw confession shows just how deeply even the strongest performers can be affected by backstage antics when the line between humor and humiliation is crossed. Mark Henry may have gone through hell in the ring, but this incident shows the pain that comes from feeling disrespected—not just as a wrestler, but as a man.
Do you think WWE went too far with this prank? Should ribs like this still happen in today’s wrestling culture? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear from you.
December 17, 2025 7:32 pm
