Mark Henry, who recently signed with AEW, discussed the critics of the brand during Busted Open Radio:
“We have to address the haters. I love the fans. I love the people that really care and that are positive and are willing to accept what they get from pro wrestling. But then again we have the haters. They are there and they are in full force. I keeping hearing this ‘wow, the WWE is invading AEW. First they had Big Show, then they had Christian and now they have Mark Henry. And they’re going to bring in more WWE guys and they’re going to put those guys in front of the AEW guys.’ Whoever came up with that mentality is a moron. Like guys, cut it out. The reason you bring in those guys is AEW is a new company. You bring in people that have experience. If you have Corporate America, let’s just say we’re Corporate America. We’re making tire irons, random somethings, we’re making spatulas. Are you going to let a guy who’s been making spatulas for three years be the boss, or are you going to bring in somebody who’s been making spatulas for twenty five years? I’ve tried every form of metal you can use to make a spatula. I’ve tried every form of plastic. We’ve done carbon fiber, we’ve done rubber. You’ve got to know what you’re doing to make the best product. So you haters out there, think about that message today.”
“We’re going to help out the communities that we go to. We’re going to Miami, we’re going to Austin, the Cedar Park Center. We’re going to touch the news and let people know we’re going to support the Boys and Girls Club, we’re going to support Make-A-Wish, we’re going to support all the charities. That’s where you get adults, you make people care. Adults have to care, and they want to see people doing work in the communities that they live in. And that’s where I want to go. I’m trying to get everybody. So if you’re not a fan of AEW, we’re going to fine tune it. There’s going to be some stuff, it’s not going to change. AEW is not going to change, I like it the way it is. I just, my whole thought process is to fine tune it. And I’m not going to ask or tell anybody ‘hey, this is what you’re doing.’ No, that’s not me. If you want my help, I’m right here. Come ask for my attention and I will give it to you and help you as best I can. That’s what you’re supposed to do, but in our business we have this mentality of ‘I’m your boss. You’re going to do what I tell you to do.’ That’s not my philosophy, not mine whatsoever. So haters, start tuning into AEW. I’m gonna show you something.”
