WWE superstar Mark Henry is one of the 50 men who will be competing in the WWE's first 50-man Royal Rumble at the Greatest Royal Rumble at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday.
Ahead of the event, Henry, who was inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame earlier this month, talked his expectations for the action in Jeddah, visiting Saudi and his aspirations for competing in the 50-man match.
On being in Saudi Arabia on a promotional tour ahead of Friday's action
"I am enjoying it. The people have been very accepting and friendly and it is has been fun. I have been kept busy and made a few meet and greets, and I was at the tryouts over the weekend, and we have been out in the desert so there has been a lot of stuff and I have enjoyed it."
On the WWE making an impact in a relatively new market
"I always try to enjoy the moment. The one common denominator is seeing whether people are happy that you are coming and then how happy they are afterwards that you came. We are hoping to put on a great show for the audience so they will look forward to us coming back."
On why the card is as special as a WrestleMania
"You have a a lot of guys who have not wrestled in a long time in the WWE competing. Great Khali, Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and myself and many others. It is an unbelievable thing.
"You also have the Undertaker up against Rusev. Triple H against John Cena. This is special. It is like WrestleMania in some of the special events we have going on here."
On wanting to win the 50-man rumble
"If I am in it I want to win it. I am not here to look pretty. It is a historic event and if I win it my name will be immortalised in the record books so it is something that I am aiming for."
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On if he is used to being referred to as a WWE Hall of Famer yet
"No. I don't think you ever get used to it. It took 23 years to build and it might take 23 years for it to hit me that I am in this group alongside 400 of the best wrestlers. It is hard to fathom."
On his 2011 run as WWE World Heavyweight champion and beating Randy Orton on successive Network Specials
"Randy Orton is one of the people in the industry I respect the most. Not many people can be as smooth and polished in the ring as Randy is, and still be over with the fans, and he is one of the very best in the industry. For me to able to win over him twice in a row was one of the biggest things in my career as I have so much respect for him."
The Greatest Royal Rumble can be watched on Abu Dhabi Sports 1 and Abu Dhabi Sports 6, with the action starting from 8pm UAE time.
