Earlier this morning, WWE announced the latest part of the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Class, Mark Henry. Henry has been a part of WWE for two decades and he is the only member of the 2018 Class to be considered an active Superstar as of this year. Henry joins Jeff Jarrett, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Kid Rock, Jarrius “JJ” Robertson (Warrior Award Winner), Hillbilly Jim, and former Universal Champion Goldberg as the latest inductees.
After representing the United States as an Olympic powerlifter, Mark Henry transitioned to WWE during the Attitude Era. The early stages of his career are most memorable for his run with the Nation of Domination, a stint as “Sexual Chocolate,” and an unusual romantic storyline with Mae Young.
Once the Attitude Era was over, Henry was sent to developmental to improve his in-ring abilities. During this time, he also entered several strongman competitions and winning them while shattering records. This led to his return as the World’s Strongest Man.
For most of his career, Henry would float around the midcard scene until he found the perfect gimmick: The Hall of Pain. Henry was tired of being on the sidelines and would just injure all of his opponent in his pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He dominated SmackDown until he lost the title to CM Punk, which was followed by an injury that would keep him out for nine months.
Since then, Henry’s career was primarily part-time, filling roles where he could help out other talent. His most prominent win in the later stages of his career came at WrestleMania when he defeated Ryback. Over the last year, he was part of a couple of Battle Royals and he helped put over Braun Strowman.
Despite having such a long career in WWE, Henry only had three title runs. He carried the European Championship, the rebranded ECW Championship, and the World Heavyweight Championship.
