Mark Henry On How African American WWE Talents Are Reacting To Hulk Hogan's Return
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry was in attendance for Hulk Hogan's backstage meeting with the roster before Sunday's WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, according to PWInsider. Henry has been one of the few WWE employees to condemn Hogan's racist comments that were leaked a few years back, leading to his release from the company in 2015. Above is new video of The World's Strongest Man talking to TMZ Sports about The Hulkster being back with the company.
As noted, Hogan was officially reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame on Sunday and the feeling is that he's back with the company but no new deal had been signed as of yesterday. Hogan was said to be well-received by the talents after the meeting backstage, which was reportedly filmed for a WWE Network special. Hogan formally apologized to the talents for his racist comments, for hurting others and for embarrassing the company. He reportedly spent a long time apologizing and was very emotional when shaking hands & hugging the Superstars at the end of the meeting. Hogan reminded everyone to remember to think about what they are saying as there are cameras everywhere these days, and pointed out how they could be recorded without realizing they are being recorded.
Henry said Hogan coming back to the company is a good idea in a low of ways because we can learn from what happened.
"I think it's good in a lot of ways because it's always a learn-able moment, a teachable moment," Henry said. "It teaches forgiveness, it teaches that we can step up from adversity. It also shows, in a time where there's so much racial dive with the government, and different things, different social groups, that there are some people that actually have affinity, and care, and want to redeem themselves. I hope that he can do that."
Henry was also asked if he feels like Hogan is genuine. Henry believe Hogan and commented on critics who say Hogan is in it for the money.
"I do. I do feel like he genuinely wants to clear his name. He sees people that used to respect him, they look at him differently and that hurts," Henry said. "He brought that on himself and he's trying his best to clear that up. I don't know if it's from... you know, some people are going to say he's missing those big checks and he wants to rectify that situation. That's always a factor, we always want to keep our buying power up but I don't think that's the case with him. I think, if he did some appearances where he helped raise money to go to these organizations that need help, in the inner cities and urban sectors, then I think people would be less likely to think it's all just a ploy for him to make more money."
Henry was then asked how the other African American talents in WWE are reacting to the return. He said, "No, it's 50/50. I've talked to guys that are like, 'To hell with him.' And I've had guys that were like, "You know what? If you're willing to make the change and try to help out, and go and speak up, be a part of the answer rather than a part of the problem, then it's all good.'"