Mark Henry Opens Up About WWE Pay Cut He Took In The Past

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has discussed how he was asked to take a pay cut by WWE and the reason he agreed to do it.

Henry and Bully Ray were talking on "Busted Open" about R-Truth's exit from WWE, with the latter suggesting that Truth could have taken a pay cut and a reduced schedule to stay with the promotion. Henry, while discussing the subject, gave his example, detailing how he had to take a salary reduction when he was a full-time performer in WWE.

"I did it [took a pay cut]. That's a thing," said Henry. "I was still working a full schedule when I was asked to take a damn near 50 percent, 40 percent pay cut. The way that it was worded to me was, 'We're going to do other things, you're gonna be able to get that money back that's not gonna come across through wrestling. We're gonna give you an opportunity to work your way into your next deal to make that money up.' I never got to make that money up. I took the pay cut."

Henry asserted that he decided to take the pay cut and be with WWE as he didn't feel like he wanted to wrestle elsewhere. He revealed that he was offered a big sum of money by WCW during the Monday Night Wars, but turned it down to stay with WWE.

"I didn't want to go somewhere else. You talk about loyally, I could've went [to WCW]. I got offered a hell a lot of money to go to WCW back in the day when the War was going on, and I said no," he said.

Ray further added that he and his tag team partner, D-Von Dudley, left WWE in 2005 because then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon felt that the Dudley Boyz's utility in the promotion was oversaturated and asked them to take a pay cut. After they refused the offer, they eventually left WWE and featured in TNA before returning to WWE a decade later.