Will Mark Henry ever be relevant again?

[georgelfc123]

Before he went on a hiatus due to injury, he was being pushed as a moster heel, took out the likes of Big Show, Kane etc. Even had a lengthy run as World Heavyweight Champion, but since then he seemed to be demoted a little bit. In January of 2012, he was SmackDown's top heel, he was fighting for the World Title, but things seemed to go downhill, many thought he may have carried the title into WrestleMania but he ended up fighting in the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match, after that, nothing was going for him, he had a couple of matches with CM Punk for the WWE Title on RAW, where he was obviously not going to win it and then he just disappeared due to injury. Where do you see Mark Henry being once he returns?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Before he was injured he was making up the numbers on whatever brand he was on. His (baffling) monster push ended in January.

Henry has never been relevant. Not even when he was world champion. He'll return in a mid-card role and do absolutely nothing of interest.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's certainly possible. Henry has been out for a while not only recovering from injuries but he's also lost a lot of weight. I saw a picture of Henry a few weeks ago and he's definitely slimmed up. According to the info posted, Henry was around the 390 pound mark in the pic, he's probably lost some more since. Judging by the pic, I'd say Henry had lost at least 30 pounds, maybe more. Vince likes guys that try to take care of themselves. Henry's getting older so he's definitely at a point in his life where he needs to drop some weight.

If Mark Henry is given the opportunity and the WWE gets solidly behind him like they did around this time last year, then Henry could continue to shine as one of the most interesting guys on the roster. I'm not sure if Henry could play a babyface, however. Henry shined as a heel due in part to being so believable. He had the size and the strength, the bearing and just the overall look to play a very convincing monster heel. I'm not sure if he can go the babyface route.

 

[Death Before Disco]

I think Mark is capable of being a monster heel again if he's given a proper push. I wasn't very interested in him before, but I actually enjoyed watching him in the latter part of last year. Just as Jack Hammer says, he's a big, strong guy with an intimidating look, and it's believable to see him as a juggernaut. However, he's advancing in years, and I expect him to retire sometime within the next 3 or 4 years. He's a pretty smart guy, and he'll know when it's time to call it quits. He won't stay around and become a fossil. If he does get another push, it would most likely be his last. I'd be down for seeing it though.

 

[Diet Soda]

Indeed, as Jack-Hammer says, Henry has been slimming down and if you follow his Twitter you can see the results.

Spoiler

If he can return with the fiery attitude he had during his heel run, combined with improved health and mobility, Henry could certainly be an entertaining character for at least another year or two. Some of the stuff he was coming out with in promos and on commentary was hilarious.

It's possible that he'll float around the world title scene again upon his return, but don't expect him to carry the brand.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I think he could easily be relevant again. I point this out a lot on the boards but in most cases, whether or not someone will be successful is determined by the writing/booking/creative (whatever you want to call it). One of the factors that made him so well received as a heavyweight champion is that he's undeniably heavyweight! Also while being booked as a heel, he got to finally achieve a prominent title while playing to his strengths. He's been in feuds with a lot of guys over the years where it was interesting to watch just because of the shock value regarding the possibility of him becoming a champion. Last year we saw that if given the opportunity, he'll come across as unstoppable and it won't be hard (for most of us) to buy into. Hell it's been more difficult over the years to buy into him jobbing to people half his size!

Right now as I'm writing this, Mark Henry is in London at the Olympics as an ambassador for the WWE. He's definitely someone respected by the company and given his tank-size, his ass kicking beard, his "get your hands off me, fool!" attitude and his disregard for the WWE universe, he's the full package for a monster heel.

I'll leave you yet again with my favorite Henry quote from last year.

Mark Henry to Daniel Bryan
"You've got guts...
It's a shame I'mma have to spill those guts all over the ring tonight..."

 

[Jatkuva]

Wasn't he also suffering from a minor injury and working through it on a lighter role before he took the time off for surgery?

I think he carried the belt well and he has gotten himself in shape i don't know if he will receive a major push immediately after he comes back with shamus being the champion and ziggler likely being the one taking it from him. Heel vs. Heel won't happen, and i don't think WWE will reward him for losing all that weight and being with the company for so long to immediately feed him to shamus if he is still champion then. But maybe down the line i could see him being champion again.

 

[theBec2101]

He can be. Let’s face it; it’s up to creative and the power to be to ultimately make him relevant. He could come back and they have nothing for him. For me personally I didn’t mind his character. I liked him as champion and I felt like he was a great heel. He just has the look do be a dominant heel.

 

[helio]

I can see Mark Henry returning and destroying Sheamus, challenging him for the title, but not winning. Then maybe start feuding with Ryback. I don't think he will be relevant again though. He had a nice run, it was great, but thats it.

 

[smizzy]

Believe me. This post is not biased. When I mention biases, I'm refering to the fact that Mark Henry one of my least favorite WWE entertainers. When his music hits, I find myself highly irritated and using this time as an oppurtunity to piss or refresh my drink. And it's not the fact that he's drawing heat from me, I simply do not want to watch him wrestle. I would be shocked if anyone could direct me to a match of his within the last five years that was an interesting match that he carried. Henry is terrible in the ring, he's slow, he's not good on the mic, and he will never be relevant again for these reasons.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I doubt that Mark Henry will be relevant again. He's boring and I still cannot fathom why so many posters here enjoyed his run last year. The man can get heel heat when needed, but goodness his matches are boring and he is an absolute JOKE. His entire career he had been booked to be a joke, other than the Royal Rumble matches when he mysteriously transforms into A THREAT TO WIN, and last year WWE expected us to believe he was World Championship material? I don't think so. I never took him seriously and I still won't when he comes back.

Why is he not going to be relevant again? He can't work an entertaining match, has had very few angles worth remembering, is a joke as a face, is BORING as a heel, and cannot be taken seriously. I spent half of his world title run laughing at him and the other half fast forwarding. I feel sorry for anyone who gets stuck working a world title feud with him as the title holder again. Sheamus or Orton should squash him when he returns and be done with it. Henry will job to the stars again. Or get fast forwarded on my DVR's. I won't put up with the torture of his last reign again. The World's Strongest Jobber will not be relevant again so hopefully WWE will realize it upon trying to push him again that he sucks and wasn't worth pushing to a world title in the first place.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i don't think he will ever be world champion again. maybe a run as us or ic champ but that is about it. the guy is 41 know and i don,t see wwe pushing him for the world title again when they have got a lot of young guys like wade barrett and cody rhodes who they can push and have win one off the world titles.

 

[xavyer]

That is a tough question, ok, he had a decent title run last year, but for his matches to be good, he has to have a quality opponent, like CM Punk or Daniel Bryan for his match to not look bad, but his feud with the Big Show prooved it, their matches were too slow and not entertaining, if you are going to have one of those guys in a match you have got to put them with someone with a lot of talent so they can carry them troughout the match, and i think his title run was more of a thank you for all your services than for being relevant, and i don't think that it will happen again, at best he probably will have some feud with Rybak........

 

[bittermang]

he had a couple of matches with CM Punk for the WWE Title on RAW

You mean a month of great matches against CM Punk, where he was a keystone in the feud against Jericho. It was an interesting angle, and while I hated the content of the feud, the players and goals were executed well. Jericho was trying to get in to Punk's head. Punk was trying to ignore him. Meanwhile he had a string of tough matches against a huge opponent, metaphorically and physically, in Mark Henry. Those matches were pretty great, Jericho picking away at Punk constantly while he tried to focus his attention on the beating he was receiving from Henry. Eventually putting him away, proving Jericho wasn't in his head, and moving the whole thing in to the PPV. Beyond the interesting triangle in the story, the matches themselves were really solid affairs as well. Henry looked strong against Punk. He looks strong against anybody.

Which leads me to my point. Mark Henry has been putting in some of the best athletic and charismatic performances of his career. I love him on the mic, I love the way he talks, especially in the ring during a match. The delivery and the language he uses when he's running down his opponent is both commanding and methodical. I love it when they decide to stick him on commentary for a match. Most wrestlers sit like church mice behind the announcers desk just waiting for their interference spot to show up. Henry brings that same intensity on the announcer's mic as he has everywhere else during the last year.

I believe Mark Henry, the performer and the character, has a lot left in his tank. I would go so far as to call it a resurrection for the World's Strongest Man. For the first time in his career, that label actually has some stature. He's no longer just a big guy they use to give somebody a David/Goliath victory, like Khali. He's a believable force.

Now, whether that translates in to a continued focus by WWE upon his return will remain to be seen. I hope it does.

 

[3drinks]

Mark Henry was the best thing Smackdown! had going for them last year, and it's a shame his run ended the way it did, but injuries happen and I can understand that. Everyone needs some time off once in awhile. I was expecting him to return at RAW 1000 to return to his dominant heel self(as was mentioned a few weeks prior to the show on WZ), but if what the poster several posts above me is correct about being a WWE ambassador at the Olympics then that's fine too. He, just like Kurt Angle, does have a tie to the Olympics, and I for one think it's awesome for WWE to let him take time off to do this instead of traveling 300+ days a year working hard and busting his arse in a wrestling ring.

Someday, Mark Henry will come back...and some bodies gonna get their wig split.

 

[DethMetal]

I sure hope so. Henry was the best thing Smackdown had going for a while and was looking better than he had for a few years. I was entertained by Mark Henry as champion; his Hall of Pain took out a lot of guys and finally made the guy look what he should and could have been for years. I thought it was a shame that he had to stop his roll due to injury. Hopefully when he returns, he can get back on track. I could see one more title reign from him. His mic skills weren't the greatest, and he wasn't the most marketable guy in the business, but I definitely bought him as a world champion.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's interesting to note how easy it is to confuse WWE wrestlers with the characters they play. As a performer, Mark Henry has been perpetually angry since he turned heel a couple of years ago; seemingly pissed off at the entire world. It's tempting to think he was that way in real life too, especially since there were rumors he was going to retire by 2012, at least in part because he was unhappy that his career had no direction.

Of course, he probably understood the difficulty management had in giving him a monster push because he not only got injured so frequently.....but that the injuries were so severe he would be out for huge amounts of time. How can Creative plan anything around that?

In truth, we don't know whether Mark was angry about his jobber status for a long time and whether it caused him to start planning for the end of his career. Either way, the "final" push the company planned for him last year before he quit worked out better than anyone could have hoped. In any event, after his last injury, we're not reading retirement talk anymore, are we? He's coming back.

Since Vince McMahon loves the big guys (in a healthy way, we hope ) and Mark Henry has proven he can handle a significant role, I say he'll always be relevant if he can keep himself relatively healthy.

The weight loss will surely help.

 

[Tiffy Lockhart]

Mark Henry can be relevant again in a heartbeat. He looks in great shape from the last pictures of him, and all it'll take is one big match to remind people about the Hall of Pain.

I'm hoping for him to go straight back to holding the Heavyweight Title and bring some life to the stale main event picture it has.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I doubt that Mark Henry will be relevant again. He's boring and I still cannot fathom why so many posters here enjoyed his run last year.

Yet you have lauded Cody Rhodes. Interesting.

Why is he not going to be relevant again?

Can't wait for this.

He can't work an entertaining match,

I thought his matches with Orton were entertaining. You don't have to be Ziggler and bump all over the place to be entertaining. There are different levels.

has had very few angles worth remembering,

The Chyna angle, his battles with steel cage doors, Silverback, Undertaker, Hall of Pain. There are quite a few angles. More than most current wrestlers.

is a joke as a face,

Should have never been face. Bad mistake, Vince.

is BORING as a heel, and cannot be taken seriously.

I bet people were talking him seriously when he took out Big Show and Kane.
Orton felt his wrath too for two straight PPV's.

I spent half of his world title run laughing at him and the other half fast forwarding.

I hearken back to what I said earlier about Rhodes.

I feel sorry for anyone who gets stuck working a world title feud with him as the title holder again.

If he comes back with that same intensity he left with and it appears to have slimmed down, I would have him hold the title right now. I said it. Right now.

Sheamus or Orton should squash him when he returns and be done with it.

Henry should come and beat Sheamus for the title so I can be entertained again.

Henry will job to the stars again. Or get fast forwarded on my DVR's. I won't put up with the torture of his last reign again.

That torture you feel is the same I currently feel about Sheamus.

The World's Strongest Jobber will not be relevant again so hopefully WWE will realize it upon trying to push him again that he sucks and wasn't worth pushing to a world title in the first place.

What makes someone like Rhodes worth it? Man up.

 

[something]

you know, I really loved Mark Henry during his 'monster' run. For the first time in a long time, i felt compelled to tune in on Fridays for Smackdown (and not just skim through it).

It will be interesting to see how he's handled if/when he returns - there is no real obvious position for him to go right this minute - unless his is utilised to try to elevate younger talent on the cusp of upper-mid card.

Or, as WWE tends to do, just stick him in a tag-team week after week after week after week after week with the likes of Khali, Kane.. etc.

 

[Remix]

Mark Henry can be relevant again in a heartbeat. He looks in great shape from the last pictures of him, and all it'll take is one big match to remind people about the Hall of Pain.

I'm hoping for him to go straight back to holding the Heavyweight Title and bring some life to the stale main event picture it has.

Or at least, in as good shape as a man who weighs 400 pounds can be. As for whether Mark can become relevant again, of course he can if he is booked to be. After his ME run last year, the guy can just walk into another programme after he returns and make it work.

Personally though, I'd like to see him work with a young guy who can fill some of the same roles as Mark and lessen the strain on himself. The most logical person for that spot would be Big E Langston who is has the perfect combination of strength, size and melanin content to replace Big Mark. I think that him being mentored by the big man could help elevate his game to the next level he needs to be at to be a success in WWE. Good to see you here Tiffy

 

[Dagger Dias]

I thought his matches with Orton were entertaining. You don't have to be Ziggler and bump all over the place to be entertaining. There are different levels.

No you don't have to be as good as Ziggler, but I can't see how you or anyone could find his matches with Orton to be entertaining. I have never seen a Mark Henry match that I liked. ZERO.

The Chyna angle, his battles with steel cage doors, Silverback, Undertaker, Hall of Pain. There are quite a few angles. More than most current wrestlers.

Nearly anything involving Chyna is terrible. You just destroyed your own argument by mentioning her.

As for the Silverback, that version of Henry put me to sleep. His feud with Undertaker was nothing to write home about. We all knew he was going to lose anyway, unlike HBK, Trips, and many other streak victims who made it look like they had a chance. So that brings us back to a grand total of nothing for Henry's memorable angles.

Should have never been face. Bad mistake, Vince.

Glad we agree there.

I bet people were talking him seriously when he took out Big Show and Kane.
Orton felt his wrath too for two straight PPV's.

That was my reaction at the time and I'm dozing off just thinking about it. Face it man, Henry is boring.

If he comes back with that same intensity he left with and it appears to have slimmed down, I would have him hold the title right now. I said it. Right now.

If he's in better shape he might have better matches. I still don't think he's World Heavyweight Championship material, you can't undo nearly two decades worth of booking that makes someone look like a joke with just one monster push.

Henry should come and beat Sheamus for the title so I can be entertained again.

It's called the fast forward button. I used it when Henry was champion and enjoyed Smackdown just fine. Try it for Sheamus matches if you dislike him that much.

That torture you feel is the same I currently feel about Sheamus.

See above.

What makes someone like Rhodes worth it? Man up.

Well for starters, he can cut great promos and put on entertaining matches, unlike Mark Henry who only makes me laugh at him and feel sorry for his opponents. You may not like Rhodes but he's a better option for a world title run than Henry.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

No you don't have to be as good as Ziggler, but I can't see how you or anyone could find his matches with Orton to be entertaining. I have never seen a Mark Henry match that I liked. ZERO.

Maybe you should do research on that.

Nearly anything involving Chyna is terrible. You just destroyed your own argument by mentioning her.

Her feuds with Jarrett and Jericho weren't terrible. How about her involvement in the Austin/Mankind/HHH feud in 1999? I haven't destroyed anything.

As for the Silverback, that version of Henry put me to sleep. His feud with Undertaker was nothing to write home about. We all knew he was going to lose anyway, unlike HBK, Trips, and many other streak victims who made it look like they had a chance. So that brings us back to a grand total of nothing for Henry's memorable angles.

I sure thought HBK and HHH were going to lose. I'm not the only one.

That was my reaction at the time and I'm dozing off just thinking about it. Face it man, Henry is boring.

Boring to you. Not boring to me.

If he's in better shape he might have better matches. I still don't think he's World Heavyweight Championship material, you can't undo nearly two decades worth of booking that makes someone look like a joke with just one monster push.

Kane has been a part of abysmal angles and terrible booking his whole career and he got a longer championship run than Henry did. I find Kane's career to be more egregious than Henry's.

It's called the fast forward button. I used it when Henry was champion and enjoyed Smackdown just fine. Try it for Sheamus matches if you dislike him that much.

Henry was Smackdown and I have fast forwarded through Sheamus matches.

Well for starters, he can cut great promos and put on entertaining matches, unlike Mark Henry who only makes me laugh at him and feel sorry for his opponents. You may not like Rhodes but he's a better option for a world title run than Henry.

Rhodes hasn't done shit since Wrestlemania 27. A long title run where it saw him beat an announcer and Big Show. Wake me up when he does something better.

 

[JGlass]

Before he was injured he was making up the numbers on whatever brand he was on. His (baffling) monster push ended in January.

Henry has never been relevant. Not even when he was world champion. He'll return in a mid-card role and do absolutely nothing of interest.

He wasn't relevant as world champion? How do you figure that? I'm pretty sure once you are world champion you are by default relevant. You're on every PPV and one television at least once a week otherwise. Most of the time the main angle of the show revolves around you. It certainly did during Mark Henry's WHC title run.

I doubt that Mark Henry will be relevant again. He's boring and I still cannot fathom why so many posters here enjoyed his run last year.

Probably because it was the best monster heel push this side of Umaga. He took out giants like Big Show and Kane and was morphed from a fairly harmless wrestler to the biggest threat in the WWE. What's not to like?

The man can get heel heat when needed, but goodness his matches are boring and he is an absolute JOKE.

No Dagger, you're an absolute joke. I know I'm not alone when I say that Henry's match with Punk on Raw was one of Punk's best matches this year, arguably in the top 3. While he doesn't exactly electrify with his matches, he always puts on a very satisfying performance. I assure you, the crowd loved Big Show vs. Mark Henry at Survivor Series.

His entire career he had been booked to be a joke, other than the Royal Rumble matches when he mysteriously transforms into A THREAT TO WIN, and last year WWE expected us to believe he was World Championship material? I don't think so. I never took him seriously and I still won't when he comes back.

You're stupidity knows no bounds. You do realize that even before his WHC run he had an ECW run where he was booked as unstoppable and wound up winning the ECW Title. After that he was neutered when he became a face, but when he went back to his heel ways he was immediately a threat again.

And you didn't buy him as World Heavyweight Champion? Beating the Big Show in a one on one match and then injuring him didn't drive home the point for you? What about taking out Kane the next night? And then Vladamir Kozlov? And then being able to beat Sheamus on PPV. And then he beat Randy Orton CLEAN for the belt.

So tell me, Dagger, what part of that build makes it impossible to buy Mark Henry as World Heavyweight Champion?

Why is he not going to be relevant again? He can't work an entertaining match, has had very few angles worth remembering, is a joke as a face, is BORING as a heel, and cannot be taken seriously. I spent half of his world title run laughing at him and the other half fast forwarding.

Well thankfully the WWE doesn't use you as a measuring stick for wrestling because you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. The Hall of Pain angle breathed life into a Smackdown that was suffering with nobody to carry the show. It was the best Smackdown angle of 2011, and everyone I know loved it. Well, except for you, but you suck.

I feel sorry for anyone who gets stuck working a world title feud with him as the title holder again.

CM Punk, Sheamus, Orton, and Big Show have all put on very solid matches with him. I feel sorry for people who don't get to work with him as he's probably the best SHW the WWE has going for them right now. He could do wonders for guys like Ryback or Brodus Clay.

In conclusion: Mark Henry was easily one of the best wrestlers of 2011, the Hall of Pain was easily one of the best angles of 2011, and you have no idea what you're talking about. I feel sorry for the people who read your posts.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I couldn't see why.
He doesn't draw, put people in seats, or sell merch.


In Henry's most impressive reign ever, he was still just a good transitional champion IMO.

With all the new talent coming in, I can't see WWE giving Henry the time of day.