Mark Henry Returns

[Mitch Henessey]

So tonight on Raw Mark Henry returned to destroy Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. Henry had a phenomenal reign as World Heavyweight Champion in 2011, but I don't see Henry working his way into the WHC picture now, because it's too crowded, and Ziggler's cash-in is looming.

Still, Henry can make an impact as the monster heel and World's Strongest Man, and he's got some more credibility on his track record as a former world champion, so he's not just the guy, who's managed to hold on to a roster spot in WWE for a very long time anymore.

Any thoughts or predictions for Henry's future?

 

[Merkin353]

Maybe he'll be used in the WWE title picture. After The Rock walks away again & everyones favorite goofy superhero wins the title. That may open the door to Mark Henry. I don't care if you want to see this match or not it's whats best for Mark Henry who has been there along time & deserves one more high profile run. I am not a big Mark Henry fan but none the less I respect him. If he's not put into the WWE title picture than I've no idea what they will do with him. He is too big of a name for the IC title so all that leaves is Alberto Del Rio for a PPV or two but I'd much rather see Cena V Henry.

 

[James]

If Ziggy goes face, then MH v. Ziggy.

Ryback v. MH.

Cena v. MH

There's a lot that can be done. I just hope WWE chooses the right thing.

Also MH v. Alberto.

It would be cool for him to beat Cena for the belt, then Ryback beats him at Summerslam for it. But I doubt they'd want that.

 

[bestintheworldCENASUCKS!]

Maybe it was just me...but I thought Marks return was very anti-climatic. When Lesnar returned last week, I marked out more than I have for anything in wrestling in a LONG time. But with Henry, it just didn't seem to really go over well.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Mark Henry has never impressed me. His "awesome" 2011 run was the exact same thing he was doing in 2003, and 2006, and 2008. He is one of the most repetitive Superstars in WWE history. He'll be near the top of the card for a while, then he'll be pushed back down, and then he'll get hurt again.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

He he received a pretty good pop. So fuck your opinion if you disliked it.

Subjectively, he looked pretty good and is a very useful member of the roster. His ultimate use will likely be to get a babyface over, but that's perfect.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It's amazing to see the guy. It was probably my favorite segment of the night. The impact of Sin Cara and Mysterio hitting the mat blew me away.

We get so caught up in Big E's and Ryback's size and power but Henry makes both guys look PED-free (just kidding, no one could make those guys look clean). Henry's mass is frightening.

I don't expect them to do much with Henry. He will probably collect some wins over the little guys to re-establish his dominance and then be used to get others over. I welcome seeing him get in the ring with Big E, Ryback, Lesnar, Show, and Sheamus. The power mtach ups are intriguing.

 

[The Butcher]

I actually wouldn't mind seeing him right back in the World Heavyweight Championship picture. Mark Henry really was doing the best work of his career when he left, and I thought the return was effective. No reason for him not to pick up where he left off. The title picture isn't so crowded that the World's Strongest Man can't get a piece. He doesn't necessarily have to win it, of course. I just don't think that he should be forgotten amongst the contenders.

I'm just glad to see him back. There was some speculation a while back that he may have been unable to return; at least this way he gets to go out on his terms.

 

[Azane]

I see him just destroying a bunch of mid card matches (looks like heel, not chaotic neutral) and eventually being used to job someone to the main event. If they are looking to use him in any main event, I think it's going to have to wait until at least May or later, the main event is so bloated this time of year.

Last time I said he was out of the main event hunt, he ended up getting a world title, so I'm not going to bet against him there.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I thought Henry's return was great last night. I was hoping that when he returned that he'd be in the same character set he was when he was dominating WWE in the second half of 2011. That's the Mark Henry that returned last night. Henry was just a big, nasty, trash talking, intimidating bruiser last night. That's what made him one of the funnest guys to watch in WWE in 2011.

As for how he might be used in the future, it wouldn't bother me to see him wind up in the WHC #1 contender EC match. I'd certainly much rather have him than The Great Khali. I don't really see Henry being in the WHC picture at this time. The title scene is getting pretty damned crowded as it is. Del Rio vs. Big Show is going on right now, Dolph Ziggler is waiting in the wings with the MITB briefcase and Sheamus & Orton are also waiting in the wings with a match between them that's rumored to be for the WHC at WM.

It's hard to say what'll happen with Henry in the long term since he's only just returned. For the forseeable future though, I think he'll be in the EC match. This Friday on SD!, I see Booker T putting Henry in a match against The Great Khali to see who "impresses" him the most.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I really like Mark Henry and have since I started watching wrestling 14 years ago but I was very unimpressed with the way they handled his return last night. It was not very dramatic to have him attack two guys no one has cared much about lately. I would have much preferred it if he were able to return at the RR or something. But with that said, I'm glad he's back. The thought of him being a transitional champ eventually is a great thing to anticipate for me...Even if there's no chance in hell it happens.

The roster is just way too full now. Ziggler, Sheamus, ADR, Orton, Swagger and Big Show are all (maybe) hogging the world title picture with Daniel Bryan and Kane possibly rejoining it soon. It's time for some major cuts or demotions in the WWE before we can even begin to imagine MH as a serious contender once again.

 

[#hamler]

That there is what you call domination.

From where I'm sitting, beautiful return last night. Absolutely crushing two World Champions and Sin Cara last night certainly did what it was suppose to do – reintroduce a monster into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. Mark's showing last night was undoubtedly a move to show Smackdown General Manager Booker T that Mark Henry can still go; he wants a spot in Smackdown's Elimination Chamber. I see no reason he shouldn't get it. Mark Henry's proved before he can be brutal with his strength and the Elimination Chamber gimmick fits that to perfection. I wouldn't expect him to win, just show up, dominate, kick ass, break necks and give a good showing and before moving onto the next victim as Wrestlemania rolls around the corner. As far as his next opponent, I'd certainly love to see him face Ryback at Wrestlemania. A match over an extremely powerful, dominating opponent is what Ryback needs for Wrestlemania season. Mark Henry can be a true test to Ryback's power. Ryback needs to show us he can handle anyone the WWE throws at him and Mark Henry is certainly a huge step towards that babyface role the WWE wants him in.

Feed me more? Well here is Mark Henry – you full now bitch?

 

[Mustang Sally]

Can someone tell me about the tremendous weight loss by Mark we had been reading about all these months? I remember pictures of him looking about 150 pounds lighter.....which must have been photoshopped, no?

Last night, the guy looked fatter than when he left. I'll tell you; if the weight loss wasn't a hoax and he put the pounds back on in recent months, the man has a serious health hazard to worry about.

Attacking Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara? Hell, Mark looked as if he had eaten both of them.

I'm disappointed; I wanted to see Mark Henry come back as a relatively svelte-looking wrestler. Would have been interesting to see him move around the ring smoothly, rather than plodding like an elephant. Still, his heel routine worked before, so it might go again for another round.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Anyone that compares what Henry did in his WHC run to something he was doing previously obviously wasn't watching the shows. Mark Henry never showed the level of dedication or charisma before like he did during his title run. He was entertaining, he worked his ass off in matches, and when he took time off people kept asking "When's Henry coming back?" I'm pretty sure all the other times he was injured or taking a break nobody gave a shit.

The reaction he got on RAW last night pretty much showed that Henry is still over. He was snorting and spitting trash talk, he looked like a true player. And not only that, but he looks to be in the best shape of his life. He still looks huge but seems like he's moving a bit better now.

Regardless of what they choose to do with him it's great to have him back. Even if they don't put the belt back on him, the rub he could give someone like Ryback would be worth just as much.

Last night, the guy looked fatter than when he left. I'll tell you; if the weight loss wasn't a hoax and he put the pounds back on in recent months, the man has a serious health hazard to worry about.

Really? Because the first thing I thought when he came out is "Damn, he's lost a lot of weight." I doubt he's lost 150 lbs, because someone with his body frame losing that much would probably hurt him. You have to take into consideration that he was standing up next to cruiserweight sized wrestlers. He looked in great shape definition wise. He had a lot more fat on him during the run before. He didn't really lose a lot of mass, he just turned a lot of fat into muscle.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

I gotta say Mark Henry looked really strong last night. I'm not sure that he's really lost weight so much as gained muscle. Muscle does tend to look bulkier than fat after conversion. But I think his return looked pretty good and I can't wait to see what they do with him next.

 

[boozinjedi]

It's amazing to see the guy. It was probably my favorite segment of the night. The impact of Sin Cara and Mysterio hitting the mat blew me away.

We get so caught up in Big E's and Ryback's size and power but Henry makes both guys look PED-free (just kidding, no one could make those guys look clean). Henry's mass is frightening.

I don't expect them to do much with Henry. He will probably collect some wins over the little guys to re-establish his dominance and then be used to get others over. I welcome seeing him get in the ring with Big E, Ryback, Lesnar, Show, and Sheamus. The power mtach ups are intriguing.

That would be one hell of a visual to see Mark Henry face to face with Big E,
the strongman/bodyguard up against a REAL BIG MAN!!

 

[LODemolition]

I was thrilled to see Henry come back last night. Even more thrilled to see they're keeping him a heel, because I had a theory he'd come back to feud with Show or Cesaro. I think he definitely gets put in the #1 contenders chamber match at EC, but after that your guess is as good as mine. A feud with Ryback would be interesting, but I think that happens post-Mania at the earliest. Unfortunately, Henry will probably get corralled into a big tag match or a battle royal instead of working his own program at Mania.

Del Rio, Sheamus, Orton (if he stays face), or even Cena would be possibilities.

 

[DAK]

I'm really happy that Mark Henry is back right now to kick some ass again. He's the perfect man to bring fresh air on the stucked Matchcards and would also be a way better pick for the chamber than The Great Khali. I don't think he will win the chamber, but no matter what, they should give him a final good heel run untill Wrestlemania and after that he can still bring someone over who wants a permanent spot in the Main Events.

 

[Mustang Sally]

This is what I'm talking about. The picture on the left (presuming it's not doctored) was taken last July; the one on the right is from last night. I was probably wrong about the 150 pounds, but look at the difference in his shoulders, chest and stomach.

I keep asking why he lost that much weight in anticipation of coming back to the ring if he was just going to blow the whole thing before he made it back.

 

[PowerHouse]

I was more shocked at Hnery's return last night and he seemed meaner,bigger and badder than he has ever befor. That running spinebuster he hit on Rey was awesome and I know Rey is tiny but just the move itself I have never seen him do it befor. It really displayed his power. I think Henry is going to get a MAJOR push again. Lets face it of all the guys in WWE besides Big Show Henry is the only other guy you can push as an unstoppable monster just because of who he is. He has the look... He might be the meanest looking man on the Roster. Size he is MASSIVE!!!!! No he doesnt look like Ryback or Big E but then again Ryback and Big E are not in Henry's league in terms of strength and power. I dont know if this push upon returning will lead to a title run or if he just goes on a path of destruction befor getting taken down by say Ryback or Cena.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

This is what I'm talking about. The picture on the left (presuming it's not doctored) was taken last July; the one on the right is from last night. I was probably wrong about the 150 pounds, but look at the difference in his shoulders, chest and stomach.

I keep asking why he lost that much weight in anticipation of coming back to the ring if he was just going to blow the whole thing before he made it back.

You have to consider the fact that during his time off he was probably taking it easy, and probably doing nothing more than cardio and eating right, which means not only is the fat going to burn off but so is the muscle. But look at a picture of his previous run where he was WHC and compare it to some pictures from last night and you'll see the difference.

His body is much more defined now as before he just looked like he was cut from a big mold of clay. There's a lot of good that comes from detoxing your body and losing fat before putting muscle back on.

At any rate you could definitely tell that he was in much better cardio shape than before because of the way he was moving. I just hope he can keep it going because he was one of the most entertaining aspects of the shows when he was on top.

 

[JGlass]

Mark Henry's return is great news for a WWE roster that is lacking on heels, especially dominant heels that let their actions do the talking like Mark Henry. Not only did he come back last night, but he came back emphatically by taking out Daniel Bryan and then putting a major hurting on Mysterio and Sin Cara, and even when he was done it seemed like he was just foaming at the mouth for more.

I can only hope that Henry is healthy enough to put on an exciting show on the road to WrestleMania and continue on afterwards and give us a full year of domination. He was, for my measure, the second best champion the WWE has seen in recent years (second only to Punk) and I'm optimistic that the WWE puts the belt back on him and gives him another run.

 

[DAK]

Maybe they will put him in an angle like Matt Morgan had 2 years ago in TNA when he held the Tag Team Championships alone. That would be an perfect explanation on why he attacked Mysterio, Sin Cara & Daniel Bryan and a nice story for him to be a main act at Wrestlemania 29.

 

[pita323]

Maybe it was just me...but I thought Marks return was very anti-climatic. But with Henry, it just didn't seem to really go over well.

His return was against "smaller" wrestlers, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan & Sin Cara, maybe that made it less exciting, who would think any of those 3 can overpower Mark Henry. He should have made a return against someone more "scary" like Kane, etc. That would have made his return more dramatic, in my opinion.

 

[PowerHouse]

Here is a quote from Mark Henry Last night after he destroyed Mysterio and Sin Cara. " The Hall of Pain is in the past now its time to destroy any man who steps in that ring with me".