Only Two People Knew the Truth About Mark Henry’s Fake WWE Retirement, and One of Them Wasn’t John Cena
Mark Henry recently opened up about one of the most memorable moments in WWE history—his fake retirement segment from 2013—and the story behind who was actually in on it might surprise you.
The WWE Hall of Famer recalled the June 17, 2013 episode of Raw, where he delivered an emotional farewell speech before dramatically turning on John Cena. That moment set up a WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank, but according to Henry, almost no one backstage knew what was really going to happen.
In a recent interview, Henry revealed that only two people were aware of the plan ahead of time: himself and Vince McMahon. He didn’t even tell his wife, who genuinely believed he was retiring.
As for John Cena, Henry explained that the former champion didn’t find out until the moment he tried to hand over the WWE Championship. When Henry refused and attacked instead, Cena went from crying to smiling backstage once he realized he had been fooled.
The segment also got a strong reaction from Big Show, who left Henry a voicemail after watching at home. According to Henry, Show was emotional on his couch, threatening to punch him for making him cry in front of his wife.
Henry last stepped into the ring at the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame later that year.
