Joe Hendry officially signed with WWE and he’s making more money than the main roster minimum, which has angered some people. While the backlash continues, Mark Henry has now come to Joe Hendry’s defense.
While speaking to Inside the Ring, Mark Henry responded to criticism over Joe Hendry making more money than some main roster talent despite just signing with WWE, as some people believe he doesn’t deserve it right off the bat.
Henry said it’s ridiculous to worry about how much someone else gets paid, because everyone’s situation is different. Henry explained that nepotism and opportunity exist everywhere, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Henry compared it to family trades being passed down through generations; a butcher’s child becomes a butcher or an architect’s child becomes an architect.
“Listen, man. I’m so appalled at anyone that would look at another man or another woman’s pockets. Stop looking in other people’s pockets. The rules are not the same for everybody. I play favorites. I have favorites. Don’t think for one second that you’re going to get it the same way that my son has it. Nepotism is real. There’s nepotism. I’m all for it. Train your kid to be great at what your family was great at. How many times do you see the butcher, his son is the butcher? You see the guy that’s the architect, his son or daughter is the architect. You pass it on. Vince McMahon, you’re supposed to. And then the same thing applies for money.”
The World’s Strongest Man added that when someone works hard to reach the top, they shouldn’t expect to be paid the same as everyone else. Companies will pay extra to keep valuable talent around and prevent competitors from signing them. There’s plenty of money to go around.
“If I work my rear end off to get to the top, you think I’m working to get to the top because I want to get paid what everybody else gets paid? No. I want to be the guy. And they say, ‘Well, we want you so nobody else gets you. We’re going to pay you X amount of dollars for the future.’ There’s enough money going around for everybody.”
Henry finished by saying that people who complain about others’ salaries are usually upset because they failed to reach that level themselves, and jealousy plays a role. He said he never cared about what others had, and doesn’t have that kind of envy.
“The people that complain about other people’s money are people that either don’t have none or they failed and they were never able to reach the top of the upper crest, right? And they’re envious and jealous of it. I wasn’t born with that gene. I never wanted nothing nobody else ever had.”
This comes after Sean Ross Sapp reported that Joe Hendry is being paid above the typical main roster minimum of $350,000 and suggested that WWE likely sees him as a future top name for NXT.
“Well, he’s on a main roster level deal from what I understand. By that, I mean making above the main roster minimum,” Sapp said. “I think with him coming in, we’re likely to see a Ricky Saints or Ethan Page move up, and then Hendry is the next guy up on NXT with familiarity outside WWE. But that’s just a hunch. I think he will be Mr. Iguana-esque, where he pops up here and there as well.”
Joe Hendry’s big paycheck isn’t about how long he’s been in WWE; it’s about what he brings to the table. WWE clearly sees value and potential in him, and like Mark Henry said, if they didn’t pay him well, another company would.
Do you think WWE made the right call paying Joe Hendry above the main roster minimum? Is he worth the investment this early, or should wrestlers have to “earn it” first? Sound off in the comments.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
November 21, 2025 6:03 am
