Mark Henry recently shared his thoughts on the AEW World Championship match between Jon Moxley and Powerhouse Hobbs during the AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage special. While Moxley managed to retain his title, Henry wasn’t entirely impressed with the match, calling it “only okay.”
On Busted Open Radio, Henry explained how he would have booked the match differently, stating, “If I was going to structure the match, I would’ve had Hobbs not get jumped. I would’ve had him go at Claudio. I’d have had him go at them guys and then in the process when he came in, the referee is getting everybody back and Marina throws the briefcase, he gets hit, briefcase slides, Moxley hits him with the finish, and then you get a better finish.”
Henry’s version of the match would have added more chaos and interference, creating a dramatic finish where Hobbs is distracted but continues to fight back, resulting in a more engaging conclusion. In reflecting on the match’s final moments, which saw Hobbs being struck with Moxley’s briefcase, followed by Moxley’s Death Rider finisher, Henry pointed out how the finish ultimately didn’t benefit anyone.
He also referenced AEW’s Darby Allin to further illustrate his point: “I love how fast Darby [Allin] moves and how interesting his look is. But, if you don’t put a good story around Darby, it looks like, ‘Why did he bump off of that thing he did jumping backwards?'”
Henry’s co-host, Nic Nemeth, agreed with his assessment, suggesting the match could have used a false finish. “I was waiting to see last night, because we knew they’re going to have a great match. You knew they were going to beat the hell out of each other. You knew there was going to be everyone involved,” Nemeth said, expressing how much more effective the finish could have been with a better setup.
In the end, Henry’s critique reflects his experience as a wrestler and his understanding of what makes a match memorable through strategic storytelling and creative booking.