After a weekend of scoops (which confirmed and refuted earlier reports), this is pretty much the worst kept secret in wrestling, but now it’s official... an interview with USA Today’s “For The Win” confirms that Mark Henry will be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame on Fri., Apr. 6 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Henry came to WWE in the 90s from the world of weightlifting. The Texas native rose to fame competing and setting records in U.S National competitions, the Pan-Am Games and the Olympics. He cemented his “World’s Strongest Man” reputation during his a stint in WWE Developmental with a win in the 2001 Arnold Strongman Classic against the biggest names in the field, despite not having much experience in those types of weightlifting competitions.
It was agreeing to head to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) mid-way through a ten year deal he’d signed with Vince McMahon after the 1996 Olympics which really demonstrates how Henry earned the respect of the locker room, and the audience. The lifelong wrestling fan debuted on Raw in ‘96 and worked with Jerry Lawler before teaming with The Rock and Hall of Famers Ron “Farooq” Simmons and Charles Wright (in his Kama Mustafa gimmick) along with D’Lo Brown in the Nation of Domination during the height of the Attitude Era. He also put up with dubious character turns and plot lines like the “Sexual Chocolate” character, which led to his “impregnating” Mae Young and fathering a literal hand.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing when he returned to SmackDown in 2002, but Henry came out of OVW as a regular of the upper mid-card and main event scenes. His 21st century run included winning the ECW title in 2008 and finally capturing the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011 by defeating Randy Orton at Night of Champions while working his popular “Hall of Pain” gimmick.
Injuries hounded Henry throughout his career, but they did lead to one of his standout moments - a retirement fakeout in 2013 which kickstarted a feud with John Cena.
Since 2015, the 46 year old has been used sparingly while transitioning into a role as a locker room leader and mentor. It’s there he’ll presumably remain focused after his enshrinement in Vince McMahon’s Hall next month.
It’s been said Henry will close out the class headlined by Goldberg, and also featuring Ivory, the Dudley Boyz, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, Kid Rock and Warrior Award recipient Jarius “JJ” Robertson.