10 Wrestling Moments Nobody Wanted (But EVERYONE Liked)
9. Mark Henry’s “Retirement”
Many fans had grown passive towards Mark Henry by 2013. He'd become part of the WWE furniture, and his 'Hall Of Pain' run was a hoot, but most reasoned he'd slip into a background role once more before fizzling out. Literally nobody saw the 17 June episode of Raw coming.
Henry teased retirement, apologised to John Cena for interrupting his promo, and then cut an impassioned speech of his own about finally going home to take care of his babies. The skit gripped fans in attendance, and it played out masterfully on TV too. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't think big Mark was hanging it up for real.
The way he flipped the switch from tearful veteran to dominant heel was incredible. Henry's moment remains one of the best retirement fakeouts in pro wrestling history, and might never be topped in terms of setup and delivery.
Everyone in the biz was talking about Mark Henry again after this one.