Mark Henry's Cageside Evaluation

What you loved:

1. Hall of Pain - In 2011/2012, Henry was pushed as one of the most feared heels ever in WWE. He laid waste to literally everyone in his way, and it was glorious. Even more impressive he brought prestige to the World Heavyweight Title and, to some degree, SmackDown.
   
2. Retirement Speech - One of the greatest swerves (and jackets) ever, check it out if you have somehow never seen it.
3. Entrance Theme - Somebody gon' get they ass kicked.
4. Hoss - Legit big man at 6'4"/412 lbs., had the attitude and words to backup his size.
5. Versatile - A talent that is rare in pro wrestling. He could be funny, dead serious, a face, or heel and make it work.

Best comment comes via Argonut:

"I’m not gonna give my loves and loathes, because everyone’s said everything. What I want to say is that Mark Henry has been a role model to me for a very long time. I’ve always been a bit of a freak when it comes to my build and the way I look. My entire life, I’ve been really strong but didn’t look like someone like Jern Cena or something. Though I idolized guys like The Road Warriors, Harlem Heat, and so forth I didn’t have that kind of build even when I was at my peak shape-wise. Thing is, I could/can speak well and worked hard, but I didn’t see anyone much like me. You know who was? Mark Henry.

I’ve always had a love for Mark as a performer, but also as a role model. I’m just a country white boy, but I related to him more than anything. He showed me that it’s cool to be the big, strong hoss of a guy who can talk for days. You can still be the tough guy, still be intimidating, but still be a hit with the girls and do well for yourself if you work hard enough. If I have kids and they’re built like me, I’ll tell them about Mark Henry. How a guy who wasn’t slim mc-fitman came out, and was the one man you couldn’t take your eyes off of.

I hope I get the chance to meet the man, so I can thank him for inspiring a country kid to be the best hoss in the room."

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What you loathed:

1. Injuries - He's been in the business for a long, and the treads are wearing down these days. Tough to keep momentum going when getting injured every couple matches.
2. Sexual Chocolate - Amazing he survived this incredibly bad gimmick.
3. Mae Young - You guys hated this storyline, the pregnancy was simply beyond stupid. A hand?! Poor Mark...
   
4. In-Ring - Outside of power moves, his in-ring abilities were pretty limited. Without the right partner Henry's matches could be unbearable.
5. Took Time - A lot of this is Creative's fault, but it took Henry a long time to find himself and connect with the fans. Unfortunately we only got a few years of top not performances from him.

Best comment comes via Cain A. Knight:

"Mark Henry’s matches are extremely boring and don’t appeal to me at all. I have a difficult time maintaining interest in a character when I know the matches will suck. He has received a ton of TV time over the years, but most of his segments don’t entertain me."

On to the poll! With 388 votes, Mark Henry's average score is 3.8.

Thanks, Cagesiders! Tomorrow's pick helped build a wrestling company.

Until then!