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Throughout the Attitude Era especially, WWE played host to some of the most outrageous, surreal and crazy storylines and moments in television history, let alone just in professional wrestling. The brain of Vince McMahon was exposed during this period to be one of the most fascinating in the world, with him writing and giving the green light to some true abominations. One of the most infamous and notable examples of a completely bonkers storyline was when the World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry entered a relationship with OAP and legend of the professional wrestling business Mae Young. Their partnership was truly something that needed to be seen to be believed.
Mark Henry And Mae Young Developed A Relationship
The relationship between Mark Henry and Mae Young came about due to a snowballing of circumstances and booking ideas. Due to Henry’s impressive size and strength after becoming known to the world for his performance in the Olympics, he was signed to a lucrative 10-year contract with WWE, though after a slow start and a development which many in WWE weren’t too happy with, the company tried to force him out with an array of awful booking and gimmicks. Instead of giving in, Henry embraced everything he was dealt and tried his best to make gold out of it.
RELATED: Mark Henry's "Sexual Chocolate" Gimmick In WWE, Explained
After his time in the Nation of Domination faction, Henry undertook the ‘Sexual Chocolate’ gimmick, which was weird in itself. A terrible storyline with Chyna led to him being exposed as sex addict due to having relations with his own sister as a child. It was as uncomfortable and ridiculous as it sounds, and it is easy to imagine Vince McMahon cackling to himself when watching this all unfold on WWE programming. Eventually, The Godfather, his former Nation of Domination ally, helped him overcome this, and he naturally turned babyface.
Not long after this though, Henry’s sexual tendencies got the better of him, and he found himself besotted by Mae Young - who was in her 70s by this point and several decades the senior of Henry. Either way, the pair entered a relationship with one another and it was incredibly weird to watch.
Mae Young Got Pregnant Thanks To Mark Henry
Over the following weeks, segments would show Henry and Young in bed with one another, with an infamous segment taking place on Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2000 in an episode of Monday Night Raw. Henry brought Young to a hotel, and even requested a honeymoon suite for the two lovebirds. Henry was seen carrying Young into the room, stating that he “needed to carry his baby over the threshold”, to which Young was thrilled about.
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The pair “got it on” in the hotel, to which Jerry Lawler could be heard and seen coughing retching over commentary due to what he was bearing witness to. Henry could be seen feeding Young chocolates before the segment was brought to a very welcome end. Around the same time, Young and Henry announced that they were having a child together, and that Young was pregnant. Less than a month later, Young seemed to have gone through the entire pregnancy, as she went into labor in what may still be the most unhinged segment of all time.
Mark Henry & Mae Young’s Child Was… A Hand
Young began accompanying Henry to the ring during his matches, and on one occasion when he was battling Crash Holly, Young decided to hit a splash herself. However, she started showing signs of pain and clutching her stomach - this couldn’t have been good with a baby on the way. She was put on a stretcher, accompanied by the likes of Gerald Brisco, The Fabulous Moolah and Henry, and taken backstage where she went into labor.
RELATED: Why Mae Young Gave Birth To A Hand On WWE Raw, Explained
This segment was accompanied by disgusting sound effects, a perplexed commentary, and the shocked reactions of those in attendance for the segment. Through an episode of Raw WWE kept returning to this segment, until eventually Young gave birth just a month into her pregnancy… to a hand. This was never explained and no one knew why a hand was what was produced by Henry and Young, but it happened nonetheless. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Henry explained that he still doesn’t know to this day why there was a hand.
Eventually, the relationship between Henry and Young was dropped as Henry was sent back down to OVW to work on his in-ring abilities due to WWE not being happy with his progress, and would once again become known as the World's Strongest Man after impressive strongman showings. Henry has carved out a Hall of Fame career in WWE, with a World Heavyweight Championship to his name, but fans will never forget his relationship with Mae Young.
