WWE News: Update On Why These Veteran Superstars Haven’t Been Seen On TV — Did One Former World Champion Retire?
A new wave of NXT stars have all been called up to the WWE main roster in the past month, and it almost seems like a new generation or superstars is completely in place. As the new crop of talented performers take their places, many veteran superstars have been noticeably absent and the world is wondering where stars like Mark Henry, Big Show, and Kane could possibly be. That being said, there are even rumors that one longtime star may have actually retired.
Many have been wondering where some of those stars are, and now there are updates on why they haven’t been seen lately. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Mark Henry is still under contract with WWE, but they just have not had anything for him to do and creative is kind of at a loss at where to put him.
The former World Heavyweight Champion has been quite vocal over the last year or so that he was looking to retire soon. Late last year, he spoke with Philly.com about hanging it up soon, but then Vince McMahon ended up talking him into signing yet another contract.
“I don’t know how I let Vince [McMahon] convince me into signing another contract back in 2013. He did a bit of magic. He’s got that magic where you just go in the office and he’ll talk you into it. I won’t be signing any more contracts. I’m an elder statesman. This is a young guy business and I’m 100 percent for it. I love the marketing process. I love the international marketing. I love the talent development, but those are all things I’ll work with the company on to make sure that our business continues to thrive, but there’s a bunch of other stuff that I plan on doing.”
Henry isn’t the only veteran WWE talent that has been missing in action as of late, but they’re not sitting around at home or anything.
Kane has said a number of times that he’s not ready to retire, and Big Show can still go in the ring and he’s having fun. The problem right now is that WWE’s main roster is loaded with talent and it’s hard to get all of them into different programs and feuds.
- Karl Anderson
- Luke Gallows
- Apollo Crews
- The Vaudevillains
- Baron Corbin
- Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Cesaro has returned from injury. Maryse is now back on the roster after years away. Over the last few months, Sami Zayn and AJ Styles have also made their way into big-time feuds for the Intercontinental and WWE World Heavyweight titles respectively.
Sometimes, there’s just not enough time for all of the big names to have something to do. As the years go by, the veterans end up taking a step back and doing less as the new stars head into the spotlight.
Mark Henry, Kane, Big Show, and a number of other veteran stars have been key cogs of WWE for decades and will go into the Hall of Fame in time. They still have the ability to perform and can still entertain fans around the world. Even though none may be ready to retire, their presence on WWE television is becoming less and less due to new free agents and NXT talent getting their chances to shine.
[Image via WWE]
