Mark Henry Says This AEW Wrestler "Doesn't Jump Off The Page, Needs Bells & Whistles"
"[He] needs more bells and whistles. He's a guy that doesn't jump off the page on the microphone."
All Elite Wrestling's Mark Henry had some constructive criticism for roster-mate Tony Nese on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.
Evaluating Nese's performance against the debuting Swerve Strickland on last week's episode of Rampage, Henry said that while he feels Nese is a great talent, he doesn't yet stand out on the microphone (h/t WrestlingNews.co):-
“I think that Tony Nese is a hell of a talent. I would like to see Tony Nese develop more outside the ring. Tony needs more bells and whistles. He’s a guy that doesn’t jump off the page on the microphone. He seems like a nice guy.”
Nese lost to Strickland in around 13 minutes on Rampage's 11 March episode. This was only the 36-year-old's second match on TBS or TNT since signing for AEW on 3 December 2021, with his first being a loss to then-TNT Champion Sammy Guevara on that date's Rampage show.
Continuing his appraisal of Nese, Henry stated his belief that the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion needs to find his identity in AEW:-
“I don’t want to just see a nice guy. I want to see an opinionated guy. I want to see a good guy. I want to see a bad guy. I want to see somebody crazy. I want to see somebody sadistic. Who are you going to be? Who is Tony Nese going to be? That’s the question that needs to be asked to Tony Nese is, ‘Who are you besides one of the best wrestlers in the game today?’ How many people look like Tony Nese? Not many. He is spectacular looking to the eye. How many people can just work any match, any style, with anybody, and do it as fluently as Tony Nese? Not many. So what’s the problem? The problem is identity."
Henry has been with AEW since May 2021, when he made a surprise debut at Double Or Nothing. It was later confirmed that he had joined the company as both a commentator and coach. Currently, his most notable on-screen role comes in Rampage's weekly pre-main-event segment, where he hosts a brief dual-screen promo battle between the opposing competitors.