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AEW lived up to all the hype by presenting a highly newsworthy Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Mark Henry grabbed the majority of the headlines for his shocking AEW debut, and today's AEW News Roundup has all the latest updates about the WWE Hall of Famer's AEW signing.
What happened during Mark Henry's final conversation with Vince McMahon before leaving WWE? We have all the details!
A former WWE Champion also revealed a possible big match for Mark Henry in AEW. Elsewhere, a rising star disclosed why he stopped watching RAW.
Hikaru Shida and Tony Khan also reacted to the release of Spanish language announcer Willie Urbina following a racist incident. Tony Khan also revealed the reason behind his recent NJPW-WWE promo, which has been one of the most significant talking points in all of wrestling.
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#5. Mark Henry reveals what Vince McMahon told him before leaving WWE for AEW
As announced by AEW, Mark Henry has signed a multi-year deal with the company as a broadcaster. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion will also work in talent development.
Mark Henry opened up about his decision to leave WWE on Sirius XM's Busted Open radio show, and the respected veteran spoke about his relationship with Vince McMahon.
Henry stated that he shares a very close bond with the WWE boss, and he had a brotherly chat with McMahon before quitting the company. Mark Henry wasn't happy with his position in the WWE, and Henry felt like he was being kept in the shadows.
Mark Henry has high expectations of himself, and he just doesn't see himself contributing at a high level in the WWE anymore. The 49-year-old legend was honest enough during his conversation with Vince McMahon, and while the WWE Chairman didn't want Henry to leave, McMahon gave his blessings to Henry.
Vince McMahon was confident that Mark Henry would be successful in whatever he did and wished the legend all the good luck for his future
"Everybody knows me and Vince got love for each other, and more than love, respect. Me calling him and saying what needed to be said came from a place like a brother telling his older brother, 'Man, I'm tired of being in the shadows. I feel like somebody beneath you is holding me back, and if somebody is holding me back, I gotta go. I feel like I'm being held back, and I'm not getting what I want, and I want to be successful. I want to be able to earn more and get those pelts on the wall.' It was like the coolest thing; he was like, 'You know everything you need to know. If you feel like you need to go, I don't necessarily want it, but if you feel like you need to go, then go. I know you're going to be successful.' H/t Zain Jafri of Sportskeeda Wrestling
While Mark Henry has not been announced as an active in-ring competitor for AEW, the retired legend has been training for another match, and Booker T has one big bout in mind for The World's Strongest Man...
#4. Booker T sees Mark Henry wrestling Big Show in AEW
During the latest episode of Booker T's Hall of Fame podcast, the 5-time WCW champion shared his views on AEW's acquisition of Mark Henry, and he tipped Henry to have a match with Paul Wight somewhere down the line.
Big Show and Mark Henry have been on-screen rivals and partners in the WWE, and the big men also share a great relationship outside the ring.
Booker T explained that Henry and Show could have a double send-off match in AEW. But that is not what might essentially happen in the future as Booker was quick to highlight Mark Henry's desire to face younger talents.
The former King of the Ring winner added that Mark Henry could come out of retirement and have a few more matches.
"Well, maybe, the match is pretty much made right there - the Big Show vs. Mark Henry. Maybe that's the send-off match for - I'm not going to send both of these guys out to pasture or anything like that, so I don't want to get ahead of myself. I know that's the match they can have. But Mark Henry was talking about working with younger guys. You look at Mark Henry; you can see that he's been in the gym, looks like he's got himself in shape, to maybe have another run or a few more matches," Booker T revealed. H/t Nishant Jayaram of Sportskeeda Wrestling
Mark Henry has lost a considerable amount of weight of late as he prepares to make his in-ring return by the end of the year. Who would you like to see Henry face in AEW if he does end up lacing his wrestling boots?
#3. AEW's Anthony Ogogo reveals why he stopped watching RAW
Anthony Ogogo came up short against Cody Rhodes at AEW Double or Nothing, and despite his world-class boxing credentials, the 32-year-star clearly still has a long way to go in professional wrestling.
The Guv'nor is an accomplished boxer who won a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012. Ogogo was also offered a lucrative WWE contract, but he decided to sign with AEW in 2019.
AEW is all set to introduce a second TV show called 'AEW Rampage' in August, and Ogogo is thrilled by the company's programming expansion.
During a recent chat with Nick Hausman of WrestlingInc, Ogogo backed AEW's call not to add a third hour to Dynamite and make a separate one-hour offering. Ogogo said he stopped watching RAW after WWE extended the runtime of its flagship show to three hours.
Ogogo praised Tony Khan's decision to maintain Dynamite's current length as he felt that two hours was ideal for a wrestling show
"We want a company of stars," Ogogo said. "We want a company full of dream matches between all of us. So the more we can all get over and the more time we have, the better. And I think it's great that Tony Khan has gone for the third hour being a whole separate show instead of a three-hour wrestling show. Because when the other place went to a three-hour wrestling show, that's when I stopped watching, really. Or I stopped watching as intently; I don't watch anymore."
Ogogo watched a lot of professional wrestling on TV back when he was getting ready to transition from boxing to pro wrestling. The British boxer admitted that he couldn't absorb three hours' worth of content on RAW.
"When I was going to make a bridge from boxing to wrestling, I was watching all the wrestling everywhere. Because I wanted to become a wrestler so I had to watch it to know what to become. And when they got the three hours, I didn't watch it as fervently because it's too long. Two hours is the perfect time for a wrestling TV show. It's exciting, it's action-packed, and the third one-hour show will be even more exciting. Even more, action packed with all the same talent and half the time to fit it in. So it's good; it's going to be really good."
What are your thoughts on RAW's runtime? Do you share the same sentiments as Anthony Ogogo?
#2. Tony Khan and Hikaru Shida react to Willie Urbina's AEW release
As reported earlier, AEW fired Spanish language announcer Willie Urbina after an audio clip of him mocking Hikaru Shida's accent in a racist manner began to circulate online.
Willie Urbina was unaware that his microphone was active when discussing who would translate Hikaru Shida's promo with other Spanish crew members during a commercial break on AEW Dynamite.
As expected, Willie Urbina faced severe backlash from wrestling fans, and AEW quickly took action by releasing the announcer. Hikaru Shida broke her silence regarding the story with the following tweet:
I didn't wanna talk about this before my big day, so let me tell you now. I don't give a shit what other people say about my race because I love it and I proud of it, and because I know which is fool. I don't even feel anger. So don't need to worry about me 😊 Thank you.
Tony Khan also commented on the matter and stated that he was unhappy with the whole situation. The AEW President apologized to Hikaru Shida after the incident, and he felt that releasing Urbina was the best course of action.
"I didn't think there was any excuse," Khan expressed. "I was not happy with it, so after I heard what was said and having talked to the other commentators involved about what was said about her, who I also apologized to, I thought it was best for the company to make the decision that we made." H/t Fightful
AEW's decision to fire Willie Urbina sends a strong message regarding the company's stance on racism.
#1. AEW President Tony Khan explains the reasoning behind his NJPW-WWE promo
During the build-up to last week's AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan kicked off quite a storm when the company released a segment featuring the boss addressing all NJPW-WWE rumors with a fiery promo in which he even called out WWE's Nick Khan.
In case you haven't heard, WWE has reportedly been in talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling about becoming the Japanese company's exclusive American partner.
NJPW and AEW have had a healthy working relationship over the past few months, and Tony Khan revealed during the Double or Nothing post-show media scrum that he spoke to NJPW officials before delivering the promo.
NJPW had no issues with Tony Khan's decision, and the segment was swiftly filmed and released on the promotion's social media handles. AEW and NJPW's alliance has spawned some decent angles and matches, and Tony Khan expects the partnership to continue.
"I talked to New Japan, and I asked them if they thought it would be a good idea for a good promo, and they thought it was great," Khan revealed. "I thought it would be a good promo, and so it made sense. We have a lot of stuff going with New Japan, and everyone's welcome to talk to each other in the wrestling business, but we've done some great stuff with New Japan over these last few weeks. And I think we're going to do some great things moving forward, and I'm excited about it." H/t Fightful
WWE's reported talks with NJPW are still in their early stages, but there is still the possibility of the groundbreaking deal coming to fruition. What does AEW do in this scenario?
We've given you several questions to ponder over throughout the latest AEW News Roundup, and we hope to read your opinions on them in the comments section below.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
