Mark Henry Explains How Indie Stars Will Benefit From WWE's ID Program

WWE recently announced its new "WWE ID" program, which essentially gives the company's seal of approval to outside wrestling schools. The program is touted as another avenue for indie wrestlers to potentially land a career in WWE. On "Busted Open Radio," Henry suggested one benefit of the program will be addressing past issues in a talent's life, so they don't become bigger problems under a brighter spotlight.

"You need somebody to go, 'Hey. You're on the radar. What are you doing to fix things? Because you still have a criminal record. We can't get you into Canada. Are you working on that? What about getting this expunged from your record? You're going to have to spend money on that. Why should the WWE spend money on trying to get your life together?'" Henry said. "Those are conversations that are gonna have to be had."

There are several examples of WWE investing much into a new star, only to have that star fizzle due to skeletons in the closet. Odyssey Jones was abruptly released over domestic violence allegations after being placed in a prominent midcard storyline with The New Day. Lars Sullivan, initially pushed as a monster heel, was fired after controversial online comments surfaced. Going back further, WWE's 1993 push of Ludvig Borga imploded after his Nazi tattoo and contemptible beliefs became known.

Henry warned that the program may also bring up some sensitive issues related to weight.

"You're gonna have to go to a talent [and] say, 'Hey man. We love what you do in the ring. But we want you to drop 40 pounds.' And they're gonna say that to girls, too. You know those are hard-ass conversations," Henry continued. "'He called me fat!' No. We're trying to get you ready for television if you want to do this."