Mark Henry Explains Why He 'Lived For' Vince McMahon's Reaction During Time With WWE

Even the most accomplished workers appreciate the approval of their superiors, and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry is no different. During his time as a WWE Superstar, Henry went to work hoping to get the validation of Vince McMahon, as a pat on the back from the boss motivated him to improve as a performer. On "Busted Open Radio," Henry broke down the significance of receiving praise from McMahon. 

"It meant the world because you didn't get it that often," Henry said of the times McMahon appreciated his work. "Very rarely would Vince come and say, 'Hey, good f—ing job. This is how we eat. This is how we make money for our families.' When he did that, bro, it was like, you could fly. Because rest of the time, I'd be like, 'Come on man, you've gotta work harder. You've gotta do better. You can think faster than that.' He was always on your ass, but because, he wanted better. He wanted more effort; he wanted you to take your body and health seriously."

Henry then drew an analogy between his dynamic with McMahon and his relationship with his children, stressing that although he lets his kids know that he loves them on a daily basis, he routinely reminds them not to take the love for granted. Henry believes instilling such strict values pushes them to work harder in the same vein that McMahon brought out the best in him as a WWE Superstar.

At this point, Bully Ray chimed in, recounting a story from a WWE house show in Madison Square Garden where he and D-Von Dudley squared off against Edge and Christian in the opening contest. There was a spot in the match where the babyfaces, The Dudleyz, used the old hot tag wrestling routine to bring the crowd to their feet before scoring the victory. Ray revealed it was one of the rare instances when he basked in the praise from "the old man" in the Gorilla position. 

"I came back through the curtain, and Vince is standing there," Ray recalled. "He's clapping, and he goes, 'My God! That's how you blow a comeback!" I'm like, 'Thanks, boss,' and I walk away. And he says, 'Come here. You know why I put you on first every night?' I said, 'I think I do, Vince.' He goes, 'You guys know how to set the tone for the entire night.' He goes, 'Being on first is just as important as being on last.' That's it. That was the lesson, coming from the man himself."

Ray echoed Henry's sentiments as to why the rare "one-on-one time" and praise from McMahon meant so much to his career, comparing his relationship with McMahon to the relationship he had with his father. Ray's comments propelled Henry to list the number of times he received praise from McMahon. revealing that it was around 10 times. Ray responded, "10 times over 25 years when you're working 300 nights a year is a very small [amount of praise]."