2018 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee: Mark Henry

2018 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee: Mark Henry

The news of Mark Henry going into the WWE Hall of Fame brought joy to the wrestling community. There's no doubt that the man has had a major impact on sports entertainment and the sports entertainers themselves. 

Before Henry started his career with the WWE, he successfully took over the world of powerlifting. When he was just 18 years old, Los Angeles Times named him "the world's strongest teenager. From that point on, he would win numerous amounts of powerlifting and weightlifting championships.

Henry made his WWF wrestling debut at In Your House: Mind Games in 1996 by defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler. When January 1998 came around he aligned himself with the faction Nation of Domination. After the group split, him and D'Lo Brown would team with each other.

In 1999, Henry gave himself the nickname Sexual Chocolate. I truly believe that this gimmick was the most crucial part of his entire wrestling career. We were able to see a more out of Henry through this gimmick. It was truly a stepping stone to future success for him. Around this time, he would turn on D'Lo and be handed the European Championship by Jeff Jarrett for doing so. He would go from falling in love with Chyna, to falling in love with Mae Young.

His storyline with Mae Young was very strange, but entertaining. Despite the huge age gap, Henry and Mae had good chemistry together. The chemistry was so good that Mae would somehow "give birth to a hand." If you were hoping to forget that that ever happened, I am totally not sorry. 

From 2000 to early 2002, Henry would be sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and also take on strongman competitions. He returned to the WWE by joining the Smackdown! brand. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury and was sent back to OVW. He would make another return in 2003, but to the Raw roster and join a group called "Thuggin' and Buggin' Enterprises."

2004 would be the year of another injury and OVW return for Henry. As he made another return to WWE in late 2005, he would begin a feud with the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista. Throughout 2005 and 2006, he would feud with several other superstars. In mid-2006 he would suffer another injury. 

For the early part of May, he would take part in his second feud with the Undertaker. In 2008, Henry would be drafted to ECW and become a dominant force. He defeated Big Show and Kane to become ECW Champion. Not too long after winning it, the company would debut a new design for the belt. 

After being traded to Raw, he spent the next two years forming various tag teams in hopes of winning the tag team championships. In 2011, Henry introduced everyone to his "Hall of Pain." He inducted superstars by injuring them on screen. Finally, months later, Henry's hard work and determination would pay off when he defeated Randy Orton to become the World Heavyweight Champion. He later lost the title to Big Show.

Henry would eventually have to have career-threatening surgery and it kept him out of competition for about nine months. He returned in 2013 and spend two years unsuccessfully going after various titles. However, in June 2013, he would swerve the entire WWE Universe by giving a fake retirement speech and then attacking John Cena. That segment is still highly praised today. 

During his last few years as a wrestler, he would sporadically appear on tv. He performed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at both Wrestlemania 32 and 33. After Wrestlemania 33 he retired and took on a backstage role with the company. 

Behind the scenes, Mark Henry would mentor superstars such as Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman, Bianca Belair, and many others. Without him, many wrestlers wouldn't be where they are today. He believed in them and helped give them the tools and guidance to be successful. 

Notable Accomplishments

1-time WWF European Champion

1-time ECW Champion

1-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Note: I highly suggest looking up his powerlifting and weightlifting accomplishments.

Let me know your favorite Mark Henry match or moment in the comments!

As always... stay tough, and stay positive.

Mark Henry's World Heavyweight Championship Win: https://youtu.be/eJZpED_yQCU