Mark Henry has opened up about the medical issue preventing him from wrestling, revealing that it sometimes leaves him needing a wheelchair.
Despite not stepping into the ring since the 2018 Royal Rumble, Mark Henry has never officially closed the door on wrestling again. In fact, the star has previously stated that he would be open to the fabled one more match.
Many fans thought this final run would come in AEW after Henry made the jump from WWE in May 2021. However, more than a year on from his arrival, there has been no sign of the former World Champion lacing up his boots one more time.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry discussed the recent edition of ‘WWE Legends’ on A&E profiling Lex Luger. The WCW legend is currently confined to a wheelchair after suffering a spinal stroke. After praising Luger’s positive outlook, Henry revealed that he has nerve damage in his back which is preventing him from wrestling.
“Bully [Ray], to be honest, to be completely transparent, I got nerve damage is why I don’t wrestle, in my back, in my [sacroiliac (SI) joint],”
During the WWE Legends episode, Luger explained that he can walk on occasion, but then he’ll unexpectedly collapse. Henry went on to detail his own struggles, including having to sometimes use a wheelchair.
“I get that,” Henry said. “It will just go out, and I’ll be on the ground, and there have been times where I do too much at AEW, and I have to take a wheelchair through the airport, and it sucks because I’m prideful, and I hate it when I can’t walk through the airport. Feels like my leg is on fire. I’m not saying for a pity party for me; I’m saying that Darren Droszdov is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, paralyzed from the chest down.”
Henry added that while surgery could fix the problem, he’s told his doctor he won’t be getting it done till he can no longer walk.
“I know countless other guys that are on canes and [in] wheelchairs too,” he said, keeping optimism that it’s something that won’t worsen. “My doctor told me, ‘Hey, man. You know you can surgically get that fixed?’ And he said, ‘Don’t do it until you can’t walk no more.” He’s like, ‘Let that be your last alternative.’ So I feel it, but I’m not there yet, you know what I’m saying?”
Henry currently works as a coach and on-screen interviewer, mainly on Rampage.
H/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.