Flair Region, Memphis Subregion, First Round: (5) CM Punk vs. (28) Mark Henry

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the Flair Region, Memphis Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the FexEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

#5. CM Punk

Vs.

#28. Mark Henry

​

Polls will be open for three days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I can't imagine Mark Henry getting past CM Punk here. I'm not the biggest fan of either wrestler. CM Punk tries to hit Henry with GTS but can't lift him up, he pretends that his back is hurt and rolls up a distracted MH for the win.

 

[Bernkastel]

CM Punk is trash. I never liked him save for the last 2 years of his career. Mark Henry has been consistently awesome since 2006, his heel run in 2011 was brilliant, and his fake retirement promo was classic. Far better and attention grabbing for pure shock value than the pipebomb in my opinion.

But despite how I feel I'll stick to my guns and vote for Punk in this round. He can't beat Henry's longevity, but consistently he was a much bigger deal at the top of the card. Punk may not have been been given the grand treatment that he wanted as a top class champion, but at least he was treated better than Mark Henry has been. Punk at the top of his game beats Henry at the top of his. Of that I am sure.

 

[Sai the Uganda Guy]

Much as I've loved watching Henry over the years, and much as I despise Punk, it is hard to argue against the latter when you have his 434-day title reign to consider, while Henry's biggest accomplishment was his 2011 run with the big gold belt. Despite Sexual Chocolate's length of time in the business, Punk has done far more and moves on in this one easier than he should.

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

I hate Punk. Talented though and I can't deny that. Mark Henry had a few good runs but was part of what was one of the angles ever and is a father to a Hand. Hall of Pain Gimmick was really good though, but I don't think it's enough to beat CM Punk. Punk has my vote and the match.

 

[SHAGAMANIA 3:16]

Funny I've never compared them before and have considered CM Punk to be one of my all time favourites but I'm thinking differently, I'm starting to think I like Mark Henry more.

Mark Henry was on top for such a short time that it is easy to forget how awesome he was with the Hall of Pain thing.

In recent years CM Punk hasn't been so great coming off like a whiny bitch but Mark Henry has always been awesome since the sexual chocolate thing.

Mark Henry is awesome bad ass who should be a legit main event draw now as I think about it Henrys hall of pain was better than CM Punks whining.

I choose Mark Henry.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Henry does the usual job and let's Punk get past him. Punk wins an impressive victory, after picking up Henry and delivering the GTS.

 

[SSJPhenom]

"You think it's that easy? It's what I do!" That's what Mark Henry said the night he faked retired and delivered one of the best promos in the WWE over the last 5 years. When Henry was a monster heel inducting victims into the Hall pf Pain, he was great and running over people much like Lesnar has done over the last couple of years. Unfortunately for Henry, however, all of that pales in comparison to Punk's historic run with the WWE Title.

Look, I could easily sit here and say that kayfabe wise, Hall of Pain Henry would go over in a one off against Punk. Having said that, though, I always look at the whole picture and since Punk's accomplishments out weigh Henry's and because Punk could very easily beat Henry in a match as well, I have to go with Punk.

Vote Punk.

 

[tdmoon]

It always seemed to me that a lot of people shit on Mark Henry but I liked him. I thought he was very good at what he did and he had a great presence. His Hall of Pain stuff was top-notch, he had a long, consistent career and someday he'll go in the WWE HOF. He won a world title, but in all the years he was there-in an era of hotshotted titles-he only won two other belts. The European title for one month and the ECW strap.

CM Punk also held that ECW title and later had a lengthy World title reign in a period when it wasn't the norm. In addition to that long championship run, he had several other world/WWE championship titles, plus the IC title and the tag title and a plethora of indy belts. For a five year stretch, he was always in the championship hunt.

Currently, I read a lot of people saying Henry should retire. Punk Is retired, and I read a lot of people who want him to come back. And an equal amount of people who don't want him to. The guy is a lightning rod; more important and popular(and hated!) while retired than Henry is-or ever was-while active.

Punk is too smart and sneaky to let Henry pin him early. He'll tire him out, get him off his feet and pin him following a terrible flying elbow drop.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I feel like if Henry had blossomed earlier in his career, he could have been a much bigger deal. His Hall of Pain run was some of the most entertaining stuff during the time of dual world titles.

Punk, while never getting the due he felt he deserved, was a bigger deal, plain and simple. I love Henry, huge fan of what he does and how he doesn't take himself too seriously, but Punk goes over in this match every day of the week.

 

[NSL]

CM Punk is trash. I never liked him save for the last 2 years of his career. Mark Henry has been consistently awesome since 2006, his heel run in 2011 was brilliant, and his fake retirement promo was classic. Far better and attention grabbing for pure shock value than the pipebomb in my opinion.

But despite how I feel I'll stick to my guns and vote for Punk in this round. He can't beat Henry's longevity, but consistently he was a much bigger deal at the top of the card. Punk may not have been been given the grand treatment that he wanted as a top class champion, but at least he was treated better than Mark Henry has been. Punk at the top of his game beats Henry at the top of his. Of that I am sure.

I understand these are all statements of opinion, but I hope you're feeling okay, and get the help you deserve. And I say this while agreeing that Punk would win.

Henry was a giant (ha) bore for about 8/9ths of his career, before putting together a one-year run that finally impressed people. Punk had a solid run in ROH before coming to WWE, and accomplishing more in his short time there, than Henry accomplished in WWE and the Olympics, combined. Punk is just flat out better in every aspect that can be thought of.

 

[Prince Vee]

Number that counts. 434 that is! CM Punk wins here, no doubt or whatsoever about that. Mark Henry has been lamented as the most boring worker who have never improved in his career, whereas CM Punk has been the most exciting guy to watch on television each time. His whole career was built up solely on himself and his talent whilst Mark Henry was built up only on his size and structure. When Mark Henry is injured, people never really cared, isn't that so true? But even after walking out of the company, WWE Universe chanted for CM Punk for 5 months, that let alone justifies how much over he was with the crowd. CM Punk wins!

 

[Sean Valjean]

I like Mark Henry. His 2011 Hall of Pain run was immensely entertaining, as was his epic retirement speech in 2013. I even dug his 2008 ECW title reign with Tony Atlas by his side, a period many people forget/underrate. But those are ultimately small parts of a very lengthy career. Other than that, Mark was just a dude in the Nation of Domination, then became a popular comedy character who knocked up an old lady, then became a generic monster heel that accomplished little of note for years. YEARS.

CM Punk was the first indie darling to make it big in WWE, and could probably be credited with ushering the sort of "indie revolution" in the years since. He's been a big deal in some degree or another for basically his entire career, from being the hottest name in WWECW, to the only 2-time Money in the Bank winner, to the fastest triple crown winner in history, to having the longest WWE title reign in 25 years (and the 8th longest reign overall). He may not have gotten his Wrestlemania main event, but the guy has had a stellar career with some fantastic matches to his name. At the same time Henry was having the hottest period of his career, Punk was literally the hottest name in the entire industry.

In terms of sheer star-power and significance, Punk destroys Henry by a significant margin. Henry has spent a majority of his career jobbing to big stars and talented "smaller" guys, and he's got one on his hands with Punk. I'll even toss in that Hall of Pain Henry lost to CM Punk in a No DQ match for the WWE title in 2012, so even Henry at his best couldn't beat Punk in his.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

For years I thought Mark Henry was a waste of space. After his initial promise he gained more and more weight and his in ring got worse and worse. Then came his "Hall of Pain" gimmick and I suddenly found myself a Henry fan. He's shit again now though.

Punk on the other hand is a guy I watched in ROH and was impressed immediately. He just had "IT" and that's why he accomplished so much in WWE despite his relatively small stature. Golden on the mic and awesome in the ring, I have no doubt Punk would beat Henry in this. I could see him doing very well in this tournament.

 

[nightmare]

Break it down and compare the best run at the top of either man. Henry had a good one. Punk had a historic one.


Mark finally became the monster he always should have been, but then went back to being just another guy. Punk took off & ran at the top for much longer than Henry did. Being a comedy segment guy who took years to finally be killer is not beating the guy who was an underground icon that eventually became best in the world.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

I'll take Mizark here.

Punk always had a tough time with Mark Henry, and frankly, with a lot of big power guys. He had Cena's number, but Cena is (relatively) a normal sized muscle dude.

Punk quits 18 minutes into the match because Mark Henry broke one of Punk's nails.

 

[NSL]

I'll take Mizark here.

Punk always had a tough time with Mark Henry, and frankly, with a lot of big power guys. He had Cena's number, but Cena is (relatively) a normal sized muscle dude.

Punk quits 18 minutes into the match because Mark Henry broke one of Punk's nails.

This match is in Memphis, where heel wrestling is all about stalling and dirty tactics. Of these two, who is better at that? Punk, and it's not close. Look at his run in the Rumble where he was able to be the lone man in the ring for a period of time, and the crowd hated him for it.

 

[Tastycles]

The battle to be Milenko's Raw MVP is on.

Ok. Let's have a think on this one - one guy was a dominant champion in the modern era, who had numerous classic matches and who became popular despite going against the grain then threw his toys out the pram and left. Henry on the other hand has had numerous set backs and been sent to developmental a few times, but ultimately he always came back and has ultimately become a solid and reliable hand. Henry has the better work ethic, or certainly less of a sense of entitlement, but that's about it. Punk progresses.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Did this match draw happen by chance? Because I remember a certain poster and a certain thread the day after CM Punk's best promo ever.

Anyway Punk takes this by a mile for me. It's not about who I like more as a person (because it would easily be Mark). Punk has every important title from his era under his belt. Henry has a few, lots of experience and that great strength, but I don't think it would be enough to undo the skill, quickness or mind games of the Straightedge Superstar.

 

[ShinChan]

In terms of accomplishments, CM Punk wins this match easily considering his World Title runs.

Hall Of Pain was awesome and I really started liking Henry much after that. I have always preferred Henry over Big Show. But still Punk goes over.

I really loved Punk in WWE. He is a good in-ring worker and is good at promo skills too. He had a bunch of good matches with Rock, John Cena, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar.

So Henry dominates the match with Punk getting some offense in the middle of the match with very less damage to Henry but at the end Punk makes the heroic comeback and wins via Anaconda Vise after failing to connect with GTS.

So It's Clobberin' Time!

 

[Dave]

When I think of CM Punk, I think of a wave of fan support. I think of wrestling talent that was probably a little exaggerated but still better than average for sure. I also think of his impact on the wrestling business over the last 10 or 15 years; awesome as his WWE runs were. I think of the longest WWE Championship reign in recent history. I think of great matches against great opponents and being thoroughly entertained.

When I think of Mark Henry, I think of Sexual Chocolate. I think of a massive waste of potential, given that he could have been amongst some of the dominating personalities in the wrestling business. When I think of Mark henry, I think of the WWE's longest running joke on a character. I think of Mae Young and all of the garbage that went along with all of that...

Punk takes this one but it could have been a lot closer than it will be.

 

[Bernkastel]

When I think of CM Punk, I think of a wave of fan support. I think of wrestling talent that was probably a little exaggerated but still better than average for sure. I also think of his impact on the wrestling business over the last 10 or 15 years; awesome as his WWE runs were. I think of the longest WWE Championship reign in recent history. I think of great matches against great opponents and being thoroughly entertained.

When I think of Mark Henry, I think of Sexual Chocolate. I think of a massive waste of potential, given that he could have been amongst some of the dominating personalities in the wrestling business. When I think of Mark henry, I think of the WWE's longest running joke on a character. I think of Mae Young and all of the garbage that went along with all of that...

Punk takes this one but it could have been a lot closer than it will be.

And the saddest thing about all of that is when Henry signed in 1996 he was WWE's highest paid contractual performer ever. He was getting paid $1 million a year to pretty much be a glorified mid card novelty comedy act, which is a huge shame. It took 10 years for WWE to finally use Mark Henry correctly and another 5 to give him that super push that he should have received eons ago. And 5 years later Henry is back basically where he was at the start of his career. At one point in time Henry was seriously considered and nearly ended Taker's Streak. Think about what that would have done for his career. But I digress...

 

[JGlass]

This match happened on Raw when both men were close to their kayfabe primes, and it was an excellent match. Punk won though, and if I remember correctly there were no shenanigans that a Henry supporter could pin it on.

I look forward to discussing how Punk is not quite the skilled wrestler the internet makes him out to be in a future round, but not this round. This round belongs to Mr. Punk.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

This match happened on Raw when both men were close to their kayfabe primes, and it was an excellent match. Punk won though, and if I remember correctly there were no shenanigans that a Henry supporter could pin it on.

I look forward to discussing how Punk is not quite the skilled wrestler the internet makes him out to be in a future round, but not this round. This round belongs to Mr. Punk.

If I'm not mistaken, it was a series of matches and they nailed it each time. Punk either won them all or Henry won one via CO. I can't remember, but either way, Punk retained each time.

It's really a matter of perspective, because 2007 Punk would've easily been inducted into the Hall of Pain, and Sexual Chocolate would've jobbed to the Voice of the Voiceless in under a minute. But you're right, these guys already faced off in both their primes and Punk won each one. He should definitely advance here.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

If I'm not mistaken, it was a series of matches and they nailed it each time. Punk either won them all or Henry won one via CO. I can't remember, but either way, Punk retained each time.

It's really a matter of perspective, because 2007 Punk would've easily been inducted into the Hall of Pain, and Sexual Chocolate would've jobbed to the Voice of the Voiceless in under a minute. But you're right, these guys already faced off in both their primes and Punk won each one. He should definitely advance here.

Henry won the first via DQ, the second via count out, and the third Punk won.