WWE HOFer Mark Henry Details Wrestling Moments That Made Him Proud

Mark Henry has accomplished a great deal throughout his professional wrestling career, winning multiple championships during his lengthy tenure in WWE before transitioning to a backstage role with AEW in recent years. The former Olympian rose to prominence in the '90s, earning the right to call himself "The World's Strongest Man," before signing with the sports entertainment juggernaut and going on to have a Hall of Fame career. 

But despite all his success inside the squared circle — including claiming the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011 — Henry admitted in a recent interview with "A to Z Podcast" that his proudest moments have been in encouraging and pushing for diversity, particularly for African-American performers. 

"People looked at black people as being one-dimensional and you've got to be the bad guy or be the guy dancing with the bird on your shoulder ... I wanted more diversity," he said. "I took a lot of pride in that and those people are flourishing today. I feel like I did my part. Probably the proudest I've been was Bianca [Belair] and Sasha [Banks] headlining WrestleMania and being in the main event. But in the same year, Jade Cargill was 30-0 and had the TBS Women's title, and was one of the best female wrestlers in the world. You start to feel like, 'Damn, I know what I'm doing,' and you just want other people to see the vision."

After hanging up his boots following WrestleMania 33, Henry moved into a producer position for WWE and also scouted young athletes and helped them transition into the business. His influence on the likes of Belair and Cargill has been well-documented, with both women crediting the 52-year-old for their success.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "A to Z Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.