Mark Henry - A Bigger Star!?

[Hard Hit Prince]

Well, well I think it's time to bitch about something other than Batista and The Shield in this boards and why not talk about one of my favorite heels in the company in the World Strongest Man - Mark Henry?

It's amazing how a performer really turns things around in a blink of an eye and becomes really entertaining to watch and Mark Henry of all people surprised the heck out of me in his most recent heel turn. I'm sure you all remember but this year promo of the year, or at least close to that was Mark Henry's fake retirement speech that ultimately led to a WWE Championship Match against John Cena and his babyface turn the next night after the PPV bout. Since then Henry got lost in the pool of endless talent WWE has and even took some time off - only to return bald and to defeat Ryback at Survivor Series in a WrestleMania main event.

I guess that at 42 years old and a history injury that makes us cringe it's predictable that the WWE is afraid of giving him more opportunities as far as feuds and rivalry goes but I can't stop feeling that Mark Henry has that aura of a big star lost in the shuffle, someone that maybe not intentionally started having that bigger feeling and a good booking with probably more than 75% of his matches won, including at WrestleMania. I don't know about him being a babyface as his looks and character will always be more of a villain, but as a bad ass and not afraid type of guy I think I can get behind him - I would literally get a "mental" boner if I ever saw Henry and Lesnar standing in front of each other in 2014 but that will not be the case as WWE has probably another plans for it.

• 
  [*]So what do you think is Henry going to do in the following year?
  [*]His he going to fade into obscurity or have a last hurrah as a professional wrestler against the likes of Big E., Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk or maybe The Wyatt Family?
  [*]What are your thoughts on his current status?

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's amazing how a performer really turns things around in a blink of an eye and becomes really entertaining to watch....

Mark Henry never changed; the Creative people were directed to write stuff that featured him. Two years ago, we were reading about his plans for a last year as an active performer before retiring.....and suddenly he becomes the world champion. I've never been able to figure whether his retirement plans (or were they threats to quit?) compelled management to boost him to the top, but aside from a heel turn, Mark performed in the exact manner as always.

As we saw, his championship run was much more effective than anyone could have anticipated, and lasted longer than most folks would have thought. Then, of course, one of his inevitable injuries struck him down for a long period of time. I figured he'd call it quits at that time, but he came back once again and might have been headed for the top once more.....until the next injury put him on the shelf again.

Now, Mark still comes across as a powerhouse but management seems afraid to invest too much time and effort in pushing him, knowing it's just a matter of time before he breaks down again, especially since he's fatter than ever this time around. The way things are being staged, Mark has some interesting things to do, but if he gets hurt again, nothing in the storyline will be affected.

Mark Henry has had his day in the sun....and it came much later in his career than most folks would have imagined. They might turn him heel for a series of matches against Big E Langston, but I can't believe Mark will be getting another championship run.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Henry's been great the past couple of years. I've repeatedly said how it baffles me that WWE didn't do what they've been doing with Henry a good 10 years or so ago. Going forward, however, I think that Henry is going to be used primarily to elevate other guys on the roster. I don't think he'll be rendered into the scrub jobber role that he's occupied for most of his career and I do think he'll have some high profile feuds, but I think his job will be to put over younger guys.

Mark Henry's 42 years old and while that in & of itself isn't a reason to just automatically write him off, Henry's been plagued by injuries off & on since early 2012. Allegedly, if the reports are accurate, some of these injuries have called his toughness into question since, again allegedly, they've said that some of these injuries haven't been so bad that he couldn't work through them. Henry's also a legit 400 pound man who's been big all his life. When he was 10 years old, he was about 6'0" and weighed about 225 pounds and he's been lifting weights ever since. Factor in Henry's weight with his age and the toil that lifting such massive weights over the course of the past 30years or so can take on the body itself; it's understandable if WWE is worried about his reliability.

I think WWE could've done great things with Henry for a much longer period of time than they've been doing them. I'll be the first to admit that Henry made me eat my words starting in the second half of 2011. He made a lot of people eat their words, for that matter. Hindsight is always 20/20, so it's a shame that the Henry we've seen for the past 2.5 years wasn't around when it might have done him the most good.

 

[Cody Trail]

Mark Henry is like The Big Show and Kane right now. Just a loyal big guy that's getting his twilight career dues before time finally runs out. I think he'll put over Big E Langston at WrestleMania or SummerSlam next year. Still shocked he didn't put over Ryback this past year.

 

[hacksawrowdyhogan]

I know what you mean. For some reason I've taken a liking to Mark Henry as of late. Maybe it is because I am a power lifter and came across a couple of his videos when I was looking at other guys like Poundstone and Rippetoe.

Heck I bought his bent on destruction shirt, that is the 1st t-shirt I have bought since the Stone Cold Fock Fear, Drink Beer one. Forgot how small the wwe shirts run. I used to be xl when I was a large. Should have went with the xxxl over the 2x.

To me the Roman Reigns spear of Henry to end the match this past week was soooooooooooo unbelievable. Reigns has a slender bodybuilder physique and couldn't even wrap up Henry and drive him to the ground in a good football tackle. The spear like a big football hit only looks good when you are drilling a smaller receiver/cruiser weight. Especially after that ridiculous superman punch thing.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Mark Henry is like The Big Show and Kane right now. Just a loyal big guy that's getting his twilight career dues before time finally runs out. I think he'll put over Big E Langston at WrestleMania or SummerSlam next year. Still shocked he didn't put over Ryback this past year.

The Ryback thing makes sense. He was returning from a long absence and it's better to make him still seem relevant by coming out on top. Plus it makes Big E look better when he eventually goes over Henry.

As for Henry himself yeah his world championship days are over. He might have had another chance if the WHC was still around, but since that's gone he's going to eventually get into a Y2J type of role of putting over younger stars. Maybe he'll get the IC title to add fire to the Big E feud, and maybe they'll stick him with someone else to get the tag titles.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I've been a fan of Henry since he first appeared in the WWE & I have greatly enjoyed pretty much everything he has been a part of since his 2011 run up until taking time off in mid 2013.

But Mark Henry just isn't doin' it for me right now. He seems much slower in the ring (maybe because he was off for a few months?) & I really don't like his current look with the shaved head. Also while Henry has proved in the past he can surprise people & make them eat their words, I don't know if Henry could ever get back to the WWE World Title level, let alone surpass what he has already done. & especially now that there is only one World Championship it will make it harder in general for superstars to get their time to shine.

I can see Henry putting over Big E at Mania XXX & then putting over some other rising talents in 2014 like The Shield, The Wyatt Family, maybe even Brodus Clay, etc. similar to how he was booked on Smackdown this past week putting over Reigns. But I don't see Henry as a world champion or main event player anymore, I think that time has passed & he is moving into the twilight years of his career. But who knows? Henry has shocked people before & didn't seem to really hit his stride until he was almost 40 years old. So hopefully I'm wrong & we get an even better Mark Henry than we have ever seen.

 

[kadroan]

Mark Henry is like The Big Show and Kane right now. Just a loyal big guy that's getting his twilight career dues before time finally runs out. I think he'll put over Big E Langston at WrestleMania or SummerSlam next year. Still shocked he didn't put over Ryback this past year.

I agree. I recall from the match he had with Fandango a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't be surprised to see if become a comedy character like he was when he was "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry.

It was quite funny seeing him messing with Summer Rae

 

[The Yes Guy]

Mark Henry is way better than some other big guys like Big Show, Clay, Ryback and Big E. He's way too intense in the ring. He's got a look which is suited for a heel and a Face. He can, as u said, "turns things around in a blink of an eye".

I just feel he is limited by the lack of mic skills (EXCEPT the MINDBLOWING retirement speech this year), which I feel tends to get a bit monotonous over a period of time. That is why I cannot imagine him putting younger wrestlers over, atleast verbally.

I think if they could put someone like a Heyman on him and give him a final run as the top heel in WWE, it could definitely work.
They could play with something like a he's-a-veteran-who-didn't-get-the-respect-he-deserved kinda thing.

P.S Please don't make him the Santa.

 

[kumarjtk]

he is definitely a bigger star not in wwe but in outside the wwe ring. He make many records outside the ring.
mark henry is a guy with big muscles. He easily got injured when he wrestled. When ever creative make storyline he possibly injured.
take a look at henry story
At his early carrier he defeat the rock , hhh etc. After he fued with brown and win european title and then he got injured. Then he changed as face sexual chocolate and make stories with divas. Then he go back OVW for training.
Then come back and wrestling with some wrestlers and shifted to ecw their he won ecw title and then drafted to raw and make him as a face and joined with rtruth evan.
Then make again as heel and win his whc title.

The main event fued he had in his carrier is against undertaker and batista.

Wwe mainly use him as a showcase wrestlers like big show, kane, khali.

 

[Cody Trail]

I agree. I recall from the match he had with Fandango a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't be surprised to see if become a comedy character like he was when he was "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry.

It was quite funny seeing him messing with Summer Rae

Summer Rae is to Fandango what Ricardo Rodriguez was to Alberto Del Rio.

 

[Chicago1989]

Mark Henry is a guy that "could've been", but his long history of injuries has held him down for years. He's really effective as a monster heel and should've been a multiple-time World Champion a long time ago, but the circumstances he's had to deal with just makes him a guy that had the tools to make it in time, but it couldn't happen. At least, he's a respected veteran and has been in big time matches. That is what his legacy would probably end up becoming.