16 Things We Learned From Mark Henry On Talk Is Jericho

11. Getting Signed

Chris asked if it was hard for Henry to make the transition from being an elite athlete at the top of his sport to being a rookie at the bottom rung of the ladder, and he said it was, talking about how the lowly way the new guys were treated was often hard for him to handle, saying that he would tell people to "take the bass out of your voice or I'll punch you in the face." Chris asks how he signed with WWE and he replies that Vince say him mention on several shows what a big wrestling fan he was. He says he wasn't prompted but that he was answering honestly when asked what he does in his spare time. The chairman of WWE called him up and, like so many other guys who thought they were being ribbed in a similar situation, hung up on him. Henry's friend called back and asked why he hung up on Vince McMahon - who Mark didn't realize was anything more than an announcer at the time - and when he realized the call was for real and arranged to have him call back. McMahon told him that since he was a fan he should come up to WWE headquarters and witness things firsthand and Henry was on cloud nine. He says he was picked up in a limo and got to visit Titan Towers, where he met stars like Yokozuna and worked out in the on-site gym while Vince watched. The two hung out for a couple of hours and McMahon offered to sign him.