Congratulations, Mark Henry!

Big congratulations to Mark Henry for winning the World Heavyweight Title from Randy Orton at Night of Champions.  Mark Henry is a pure homegrown talent of the WWE who has never wrestled in any other promotion.  His claim to fame, which led him to the WWE was his weightlifting background.  In the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and the 1995 Pan Am games, he represented the United States in weightlifting.  After representing the United States in the 1996 Olympic Games, he signed a 10-Year contract. 

His first title run started when he won the defunct-WWE European Championship Title in 1999, but he never wrestled to win that title.  Jeff Jarrett awarded the title to him have Mark Henry helped Jarrett win the title over D’Lo Brown.  One month later, he lost to D-Lo Brown in at the Unforgiven PPV. 

From 1999 to 2008, Mark Henry was title-less.  Though he was involved in many storylines, he never was given the opportunity to hold a title until the 2008 Night of Champions.  On that night, he battled Kane and the Big Show in a Triple Threat Match to win the ECW Heavyweight Championship.  Two months later, he lost the title in a Championship Scramble Match.

Now, after 15 years with the WWE, he has finally become the World Heavyweight Champion.  Though professional wrestling is a scripted sporting event, there is still a great honor for a person who received a world heavyweight championship belt.  From the WWE to TNA to ROH to any independent wrestling promotion, the one who is at the top is their World Heavyweight Champion.  Out of all the hundreds of aspiring wrestlers from past to present, only a handful of wrestlers has been given the nod to win this championship belt.  There is only one time when a world heavyweight title was held by someone unworthy to hold it and that was David Arquette during the Monday Night Nitro (but that’s another story to talk about).  To hold this pristine title for any company is to say that the company believes that you are a hard-worker, dedicated to the craft, and ready to have the main storyline center around you.  Not many have the charisma and talent for that responsibility.  Not many have the attention of the fans to be given that responsibility.  So, when the WWE has decided to put Mark Henry in to the main event spotlight that was a great privilege entrusted to him and he is deserving of it.

How long will he hold the title?  No one knows.  He can drop it two weeks later at the next PPV or he can hold on to it until next year’s Wrestlemania, but the fact that he has held it is a great accomplishment to have.  Personally, Mark Henry has a one-dimensional character.  He is limited in his wrestling skill.  His mic skills aren’t the greatest.  He’s done silly gimmick, ridiculous promos, and jobbed to many wrestlers for them to get over.  Despite all this, he’s been a dedicated worker for the WWE.  Congratulations, Mark Henry!  You truly deserve it.