WWE Hall Of Famer "Perplexed" By Latest WWE Releases

"It looks like, from an NXT standpoint, that nobody's safe."

by Andrew Pollard
Mark Henry
WWE.com

It's not just wrestling fans who were left shocked and stunned at yet another round of WWE releases taking place this past Friday, for WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry was likewise left "perplexed" by this news.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio yesterday (as per Fightful), the one-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion wasn't just shocked at the news of these releases, but he was even more surprised that these firings were made public as SmackDown was airing live on Friday night.

"Getting that news, and man, I'm just sitting here, like, still perplexed about the fact it happened during the show. Like, 'Hey guys, I'm going to throw this grenade in the room and see what happens'. What did they think was going to be the reaction from the fans?"

During his weekly Saturday stint on Busted Open, the World's Strongest Man also discussed how WWE talent must now be fearing for their jobs.

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"The point about it is there have been so many releases that people are starting to look at, 'Damn, man, the writing's on the wall. I can be out of her at any time. Maybe I need to focus on job security. Maybe I need to go ahead and take a pre-emptive strike and not re-sign and go somewhere else'. Japan, IMPACT, AEW, ROH, MLW; there are places to go work, and do you want to be a part of something that's already well established, or do you want to go somewhere and help make a company better? It depends on the talent, but it looks like, from an NXT standpoint, that nobody's safe."

In addition to 13 talents - including Bronson Reed, Mercedes Martinez, Bobby Fish and Leon Ruff - being released this past Friday, the past week or so has also seen Ric Flair and Bray Wyatt likewise be let go by Vince McMahon's sports entertainment behemoth.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.