Mark Henry Says There's a '50-50' Split Among African American Wrestlers Over Hulk Hogan's Return

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry spoke with TMZ on Monday regarding WWE's decision to reinstate Hulk Hogan in the WWE Hall of Fame.

The former 12-time world champion had all of his ties to the company severed in 2015 after a tape of him making multiple racist remarks about African Americans leaked online. Hogan traveled to Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon to speak to the WWE locker room about his return and to offer an apology to all of them.

The speech was reportedly well-received by the locker room, but Henry said a day later that there's a "50-50" split among African American wrestlers.

"It's 50-50," Henry said in a video chat interview. "I've talked to guys that were like, 'Man, to hell with him.' And I've had guys who were like, 'Man, if he's willing to make a change and try to help out and go and speak up and be apart of the answer rather than part of the problem, then it's all good.'"

Henry had previously stated back in March that he wasn't ready for Hogan to make a return to the company. But when asked about it again on Monday, Henry said he feels Hogan's remorse is legitimate.

"You know man, I think it's good in a lot of ways because it was always a learn-able moment, a teachable moment," Henry said. "It teaches forgiveness, it teaches that we can step up from adversity. It also shows that in a time where there's so much racial divide with government and different things, that there's some people that actually have an affinity and care and want to redeem themselves. So I hope that he an do that."

"I do feel like he genuinely wants to clear his name," he continued. "He's sees people that used to respect him, they look at him different. And it hurts. He brought that on himself, but he's trying his best to clear that up."

He also provided a way for Hogan to win over the detractors who think he's simply motivated by making more money in the WWE.

"Some people are going to say, 'Well, he's missing them big checks. So he wants to rectify that situation.' And that's always a factor," Henry said. "We always want to keep our vying power up, but I don't think that's the case with him. I think if he did some appearances where he helped raise money to go to these organizations that need help in the inner cities and urban sectors, then I think people will be less likely to think that it's all just a ploy for him to make more money."