Wrestling

Ancient Greek wrestlers (Pankratiasts)
Focus	Grappling
Olympic sport	Greco-Roman and Freestyle

Wrestling is a form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two (occasionally more) competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into other martial arts as well as military hand-to-hand combat systems.

The term wrestling is attested in late Old English, as wræstlunge (glossing palestram).^[1]

History[link]

Wrestling is one of the oldest forms of combat with references to it as early as the Iliad, in which Homer recounts the Trojan War in the 13th or 12th century BC.^[2] The origins of wrestling can be traced back 15,000 years through cave drawings in France. Babylonian and Egyptian relief's show wrestlers using most of the holds known to the present-day sport. In ancient Greece, wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend and literature; wrestling competition, brutal in many aspects, was the number one sport of the Olympic Games. The ancient Romans borrowed heavily from Greek wrestling, but eliminated much of its brutality.

During the Middle Ages (fifth century to fifteenth century) wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal families, including those of France, Japan and England.

Early Americans brought a strong wrestling tradition with them when they came from England. The settlers also found wrestling to be popular among Native Americans.^{[citation needed]} Amateur wrestling flourished throughout the early years of the country and served as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday celebrations, and in military exercises. The 1st organized national wrestling tournament was held in New York City in 1888, while the 1st wrestling competition in the modern Olympic Games was held in 1904 in Saint Louis, Missouri.^{[citation needed]} FILA was founded in 1912, in Antwerp, Belgium. The 1st NCAA Wrestling Championships were also held in 1912, in Ames, Iowa. USA Wrestling, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, became the national governing body of amateur wrestling in 1983. It conducts competitions for all age levels.

Women and wrestling[link]

Also, women's wrestling is gaining popularity around the world. International wrestling federation FILA (Federation Internationale de Luttes Associees - French acronym) and other federations and associations regularly hold tournaments and championships in different parts of the world.^{[citation needed]} The first world women's wrestling championship was held in 1987 in Lorenskog, Norway. European wrestlers came away with all the gold medals.^{[citation needed]} Since that time, an increasing number of nations field women's wrestling teams each year and gold has been spread beyond Europe.

Mythology[link]

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel illustration by Gustave Doré (1855)

Some of the earliest references to wrestling, can be found in wrestling mythology.

• The Mahabharata describes the encounter between the accomplished wrestlers Bhima and Jarasandha.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh established his credibility as a leader, after wrestling Enkidu.

• Greek mythology celebrates the rise of Zeus as ruler of the earth after a wrestling match with his father, Cronus. Both Heracles and Theseus were famous for their wrestling against man and beast.

By country[link]

• Shuai Jiao, a wrestling style originating in China, which according to legend, has a reported history of over 4,000 years.

• In Pharaonic Egypt, wrestling has been evidenced by documentation on tombs (circa 2300 BC) and Egyptian artwork (2000-1085 BC).
• Greek wrestling was a popular form of martial art, at least in Ancient Greece (about 1100 to 146 BC).^[3]

• Roman Wrestling: After the Roman conquest of the Greeks, Greek wrestling was absorbed by the Roman culture and became Roman Wrestling during the period of the Roman Empire (510 BC to AD 500).^{[citation needed]}

• Arabic literature depicted Muhammad as a skilled wrestler, defeating a skeptic in a match at one point.

• The Byzantine emperor Basil I, according to court historians, won in wrestling against a boastful wrestler from Bulgaria in the eighth century.^[4]

Michiel Sweerts, Wrestling Match, 1649.

• In 1520 at the Field of the Cloth of Gold pageant, Francis I of France threw fellow king Henry VIII of England in a wrestling match.^[4]

• The Lancashire style of folk wrestling may have formed the basis for Catch wrestling, also known as "catch as catch can." The Scots later formed a variant of this style, and the Irish developed the "collar-and-elbow" style which later found its way into the United States.^[5]

• A Frenchman ^{[n 1]} "is generally credited with reorganizing European loose wrestling into a professional sport", Greco-Roman wrestling.^[6] This style which was finalized by the 19th century and by then, wrestling was featured in many fairs and festivals in Europe.^[7]

Modern[link]

Greco-Roman wrestling and modern freestyle wrestling were soon regulated in formal competitions, in part resulting from the rise of gymnasiums and athletic clubs.

On continental Europe, prize money was offered in large sums to the winners of Greco-Roman tournaments, and freestyle wrestling spread rapidly in the United Kingdom and in the United States after the American Civil War. Wrestling professionals soon increased the popularity of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, worldwide.^[5][8]

• Greco-Roman wrestling became an event at the first modern Olympic games, in Athens in 1896. Since 1908, the event has been in every Summer Olympics.

• Freestyle wrestling became an olympic event, in 1904. Women's freestyle wrestling was added to the Summer Olympics in 2004.

Since 1921, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has regulated amateur wrestling as an athletic discipline, while professional wrestling has largely become infused with theatrics but still requires athletic ability. Today, olympic wrestling is the national sport of several Russia's Republics, Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Gambia, USA and several ex-U.S.S.R nations.

International disciplines (non-folk styles)[link]

Wrestling disciplines defined by FILA, are broken down into two categories; International wrestling disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. According to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, there are five current International wrestling disciplines acknowledged throughout the world. They are Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, Grappling, Beach wrestling and MMA.^[9]

Greco-Roman[link]

A Greco-Roman wrestling match in the United States

Greco-Roman is an international discipline and an Olympic sport. In Greco-Roman style, it is forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt, to make trips, and to actively use the legs in the execution of any action. Recent rule changes in Greco-Roman increase opportunities for and place greater emphasis on explosive, 'high amplitude' throws. Pinning one's opponent to the mat is one way of winning. One of the most well known Greco-Roman wrestlers is Alexander Karelin from Russia.

Freestyle wrestling[link]

Freestyle wrestling is an international discipline and an Olympic sport, for both men and women. This style allows the use of the wrestler's or his opponent's legs in offense and defense. Freestyle wrestling has its origins in catch-as-catch-can wrestling and the prime victory condition in this style involves the wrestler winning by throwing and pinning his opponent on the mat. American high school and college wrestling is conducted under different rules and is termed scholastic and collegiate wrestling. Outside the U.S., one can find professional wrestlers who compete by the rules of freestyle wrestling.

Grappling[link]

Female wrestling

FILA Grappling is a wrestling style that consists of controlling the opponent without using striking and also includes the use of submission holds. It is also referred to as “submission grappling.” It starts from a standing position or on the ground after a throw, and the goal is to make the opponent submit via the use of immobilization techniques such as locks. Grappling, differing from the FILA definition, plays an important role in the practice of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and can be used as a self-defence technique. It brings together techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Freestyle Wrestling, American Folk Wrestling (catch-as-catch-can), sambo, and judo. Grapplers wear shorts and a tight shirt (No-Gi) or kimonos (Gi).^[10]

MMA and combat grappling[link]

Combat grappling is a form of safe amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) that incorporates techniques from most existing Martial Arts systems, creating a unique fighting environment that alternatively takes the fight from standing to ground positions. Combat grappling matches are either won by grappling holds such as joint locks and chokes, or by striking and kicking techniques. Combat grappling also intends to be a realistic form of self-defense covering all aspects of standing and ground fighting, thus making it perfect and safe to use for military, police, and security training.^[11]

Beach wrestling[link]

Apparently in a bid to give wrestling greater appeal to television audiences, FILA adopted beach wrestling as an official discipline during 2004–2005. Beach wrestling is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 6 meters (20 ft) in diameter with only two weight categories, heavy and light. The objective is to throw an opponent or take the opponent to their back. The wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts.^[12][13]

Oil wrestling[link]

Oil wrestling (Turkish: yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek kurash, Tuvan khuresh and Tatar köräş. The wrestlers, known as pehlivan meaning "champion" wear a type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kispet, which are traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently have been made of calfskin.

Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet. To win by this move is called paça kazık. Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days, until one man was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the baspehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor.

The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362, is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. In recent years this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries.

Sambo[link]

Khuresh (Tuvan wrestling)

Sambo is a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union (specifically Russia) in the 20th century. It is an acronym for "self-defence without weapons" in Russian and had its origins in the Soviet armed forces. Its influences are varied, with techniques borrowed from sports ranging from the two international wrestling styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle to judo, jiu-jitsu, European styles of folk wrestling, and even fencing. The rules for sport sambo are similar to those in competitive judo, with a variety of leglocks and defense holds from the various national wrestling styles in the Soviet Union, while not allowing chokeholds.^[14]

Pankration[link]

Pankration, from the Greek words "Pan" and "Kratos" meaning "the one who controls everything", is a world heritage martial art with the unique distinction of being the only martial sport in existence today that can legitimately trace its roots to the ancient Olympic Games from 648 BC to 393 AD. Today, pankration is developed by FILA as a mild form of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA),^[15]

Folk style disciplines[link]

Tibetan wrestlers in 1938

Indian wrestlers from Davangere in 2005

Folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique to a culture or geographic region of the world that FILA does not administer rules for. Examples of the many styles of folk wrestling, include Backhold Wrestling (from Europe), Cumberland Wrestling and Catch-as-catch-can (from England), Kurash from Uzbekistan, Gushteengiri from Tajikistan, Khuresh from Siberia, Lotta Campidanese from Italy, Pahlavani from Iran, Pehlwani from India, Penjang Gulat from Indonesia, Schwingen from Switzerland, Tigel from Ethiopia, Nubian Wrestling from Sudan and South Sudan, Shuai jiao from China, Ssireum from Korea.

Folk wrestling styles are not recognized as international styles of wrestling, by FILA.

Collegiate wrestling[link]

Two high school students competing in scholastic wrestling (collegiate wrestling done at the high school and middle school level).

Collegiate wrestling (sometimes known as scholastic wrestling or folkstyle wrestling) is the commonly used name of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style, with modifications, is also practiced at the high school and middle school levels, and also for younger participants. The term is used to distinguish the style from other styles of wrestling used in other parts of the world, and from those of the Olympic Games: Greco-Roman wrestling, and Freestyle wrestling. Some high schools in the U.S. have developed junior varsity and freshman teams alongside varsity teams. Junior varsity and freshman wrestling teams restrict competitors not only by weight, but also by age and the amount of wrestling a competitor can partake in. For example, some junior varsity and freshman competitors are not allowed in tournament competition due to the amount of mat time a wrestler would accrue in a short time period.

There are currently several organizations which oversee collegiate wrestling competition: Divisions I, II, and III of the NCAA, the NJCAA, the NAIA, and the NCWA. NCAA Division I wrestling is considered the most prestigious and challenging level of competition. A school chooses which athletic organization to join, although it may compete against teams from other levels and organizations during regular-season competition. The collegiate season starts in October or November and culminates with the NCAA tournament held in March.^[16]

Professional wrestling[link]

Professional competitive wrestling is uncommon. Professional wrestling refers in practice to "sports entertainment", where matches are 'worked' to an arranged outcome, as a result of staged combat.

United States[link]

Professional wrestling, can often be referred to as sports entertainment, which has predetermined outcomes. In some promotions, "feuds" are used to build up a championship match. The athletes mostly utilize the traditional Anglo-American catch wrestling holds.

Puroresu[link]

Japanese professional wrestling, also known as puroresu, is treated as a sport rather than the entertainment style of wrestling found in North America. There are no storylines or any sort of angle found in most puroresu promotions. The matches have the atmosphere of real wrestling competition. Techniques include use of amateur or shoot wrestling tactics in addition to hard hitting martial arts strikes and complex submission maneuvers. This means that the wrestlers are more prone to injury. Popular Japanese wrestlers include Kenta Kobashi, Tiger Mask, The Great Muta, Jun Akiyama, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, and KENTA.

Lucha libre[link]

Mexican professional wrestling, also known as Lucha libre is a style of wrestling that combines mixed-martial arts and the wrestling of North America. In Lucha libre the wrestler or luchador uses a mask to cover his face. Traditionally the match is for the best of three rounds without a time limit. The "Luchador" or "wrestler" athlete uses their own wrestling style or "estilo de lucha" consisting of aerial attack wrestling moves, strikes and complex submission moves. The most popular luchadores are Santo, Blue Demon, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, La Parka, Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Del Rio and Mistico.

Germany[link]

In Germany, "Berufsringen" refers to wrestling where professional wrestlers fight by traditional rules, and "Wrestling" refers to the professional wrestling of U.S. promotions. The German language makes this distinction clear, as the term 'Ringen' is used to designate sport wrestling in any of the Olympic or folk styles, while the terms 'Wrestling' and 'Catchen' refers to professional wrestling entertainment; a sport wrestler is a 'Ringer' and a professional wrestling star is a 'Wrestler' or 'Catcher'. Ringer-Bundesliga is the top level of professional team wrestling.

Mixed martial arts competition[link]

Grappling and striking skills are both of importance in mixed martial arts competitions. Fighters who were accomplished wrestlers, gained respect during the early stages of MMA development.^[17] Some of these, went on to win several early Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12).^[17]

Successful fighters in modern MMA who began their training in various forms of wrestling, include Jon Jones, Frank Edgar, Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion who was a NCAA wrestling champion in 2000 and achieved 2nd place 1999,^[18] and former champions Dan Henderson, of PRIDE FC and Randy Couture, a multi-time UFC champion, both of whom competed extensively in collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling before beginning their careers in mixed martial arts.

Sport nutrition[link]

Wrestling is a strength sport that requires a large amount of muscle stamina. "Due to the high intensity and strenuous energy demands of a wrestling match, athletes must consume the needed nutrition requirements".^[19] Wrestlers who deprive their bodies of nutrients can lead to fatal effects. Unsafe practices including rubber suits and crash diets have been banned by some coaches and trainers in order to keep their athletes healthy.

See also[link]

• Amateur wrestling
  • List of famous amateur wrestlers
  • List of World Champions in Men's Freestyle Wrestling
• Arm wrestling
• Catch wrestling
• Indian wrestling
• International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles - FILA
• Grappling
• Luta Livre
• Mixed martial arts
• Pankration
• Professional wrestling
  • List of professional wrestlers
• Skin infections and wrestling
• Sumo

References[link]

Notes[link]

1. ^ Exbroyat of Lyon. He died in 1868. Another claim, is that the founder of Greco-Roman wrestling, was Frenchman Jean Broyasse (death 1872), according to the encyclopedia Gyldendals store konversasjonsleksikon,1981,p.2564.

External links[link]

Look up Wrestling or Grappling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wrestling

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Women's Wrestling

• FILA Wrestling
• USA Wrestling
• Wrestling Roots

Mark Henry
Mark Henry in December 2011
Ring name(s)	Mark Henry
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Billed weight	412 lb (187 kg)[1]
Born	(1971-06-12) June 12, 1971 (age 41)[2] Silsbee, Texas[2]
Billed from	Silsbee, Texas[1]
Trained by	Leo Burke Hart family members[2]
Debut	September 22, 1996

Competition record
Competitor for  United States
Strongman
Arnold Strongman Classic
1st	2002 Arnold Strongman Classic
Powerlifting
Competitor for  United States
WDFPF World Powerlifting Championships[3]
1st	1995	+145kg
USAPL National Powerlifting Championships[4]
1st	1997	+145kg
USPF National Powerlifting Championships[5]
2nd	1990	+125kg

Mark Jerrold Henry^[6] (born June 12, 1971)^[2] is an American powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and a professional wrestler with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand. He is a 1992 Olympian,^[1] and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic.^[7] Since joining the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1996, he has become a one-time WWF European Champion and a two-time world champion, having held the ECW Championship in 2008,^[8] and the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011.^[9]

Henry was a weightlifter, and competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he placed tenth in the super heavyweight division. Three years later, at the 1995 Pan American Games, Henry won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division. The following year, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. In 1996, Henry signed a ten-year contract with the WWF. Henry was trained by former Canadian professional wrestlers Stu and Bret Hart and Leo Burke. He made his television wrestling debut in September 1996. In January 1998, Henry joined the stable Nation of Domination. After the disbanding of the group, he acquired the moniker "Sexual Chocolate", which led him to participate in controversial angles.

In 2000, Henry was sent to the company's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky to improve his wrestling skills. That same year, he left wrestling and began refocusing on weightlifting. Henry won the inaugural Arnold Strongman Classic in 2002, competing against some of the greatest strength athletes from all over the world. In 2003, Henry returned to WWE, where he took part of the group "Thuggin' And Buggin' Enterprises", a group compiled of African Americans who worked a race angle in which they felt they were victims of racism and were being held down by the "white man".

The following year, Henry tore his quadriceps muscle, and was unable to compete for over a year. Upon his return, he was briefly involved in feuds with Kurt Angle and The Undertaker, before suffering a knee injury. After it healed, he continued to feud with The Undertaker, before being moved to the ECW brand in June 2008, where he had Tony Atlas as a manager. In June 2008, he won the ECW Championship and held it for three months. In 2011, Henry had a resurgence on SmackDown, which led to him winning his first World Heavyweight Championship in September 2011 when he defeated Randy Orton.

Weightlifting career[link]

Mark Henry pushing a tank.

During his time in high school, Henry was a three-time state champion with state records in the squat at 832 lb (377 kg), bench press at 525 lb (238 kg) and deadlift at 815 lb (370 kg).^[10] At the Texas high school powerlifting championships in April 1990, Terry Todd, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin and former weightlifter, spotted Henry and persuaded him to go to Austin after he graduated to train in the Olympic style of weightlifting.^[10]

Henry broke four national junior records in weightlifting after eight months of training in Olympic weightlifting.^[11] In April 1991, he placed fourth at the United States Nationals, and finished sixth at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Germany two months later.^[11] In Henry's first year of competing, he broke the three junior (20 and under) American records 12 times, and became the United States' top superheavyweight, surpassing Mario Martinez.^[12]

Henry nicknames himself the World's Strongest Man after he qualified for the weightlifting competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he finished tenth in the super heavyweight class.^[7][12] Ten months before the 1992 Olympics, Henry had begun training with Dragomir Cioroslan, a bronze medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics, who said that he had "never seen anyone with Mark's raw talent".^[12] At the 1995 Pan American Games Henry won a gold, silver and bronze medal, and a year later, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion.^[7] He also participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and was voted team captain, but finished 14th after suffering a back injury.^[7]

Professional wrestling career[link]

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment / WWE[link]

Early career (1996–1997)[link]

Henry made his first appearance on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) programming on the March 11, 1996 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he press slammed Jerry Lawler, who was ridiculing Henry while interviewing him in the ring. After Henry competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, the WWF signed him to a ten-year contract.^[7] Trained by professional wrestler Leo Burke, his first feud in the WWF was with Lawler. At the pay-per-view event, SummerSlam in August 1996, Henry came to the aid of Jake Roberts who was suffering indignity at the hands of Lawler. His first television wrestling match was at In Your House: Mind Games on September 22, 1996, where he defeated Lawler.^[7] The feud continued on the live circuit during subsequent weeks.^[13] On the November 4 episode of Raw, Henry served as a cornerman for Barry Windham in a match against Goldust. He was set to team with Windham, Marc Mero and Rocky Maivia to take on the team of Lawler, Goldust, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Crush at Survivor Series, but was replaced by Jake Roberts when he was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. On the November 17 episode of Superstars, Henry defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush and Goldust in a tug of war contest. Henry's career was then stalled as, over the next year, he took time off to heal injuries and engage in further training. In November 1997, he returned to the ring, making his televised return the following month.^[14] By the end of the year, he was a regular fixture on WWF programming, defeating Steve Lombardi on the December 15 episode of Raw, and beating The Sultan on the December 27 episode of Shotgun.

Nation of Domination and Sexual Chocolate (1998–2000)[link]

Henry joined the faction with Farooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa and D'Lo Brown on January 12, 1998.^[7] After The Rock usurped Farooq's position as leader, Henry switched loyalties to The Rock. He also competed at WrestleMania XIV in a tag team battle royal, with Brown as his partner, but they did not win.^[15] After the Nation disbanded, he engaged in a short feud with The Rock, defeating him at Judgment Day: In Your House with help from Brown, and then forming a permanent team with Brown, gaining Ivory as a manager.^[7][16] During the next year, Henry gave himself the nickname "Sexual Chocolate", and was involved in controversial angles with Chyna and a transvestite.^[7] During a match at the August 1999 pay-per-view, SummerSlam, between Brown and Jeff Jarrett for the WWF Intercontinental and WWF European Championships (both held at the time by Brown), Henry turned on Brown and helped Jarrett win the match and the titles.^[17] The next night, Henry was awarded the European title by Jarrett in return for his help.^[18] Henry dropped the title one month later to Brown at the Unforgiven pay-per-view.^[19]

After this, Henry turned into a fan favorite, and was seen on television romancing WWF women from Chyna to Mae Young as part of the "Sexual Chocolate" character.^[7] He feuded with Viscera during this time as part of a storyline where Viscera splashed Mae Young while she was carrying Henry's child.^[20][21] Young would go on to give birth to a hand. Along with this, Henry was made part of various other embarrassing and infamous storylines, including the admission that he was a sex addict.^[7]

Hiatus/Strongman[link]

In 2000, Henry was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to improve his conditioning and skills. In OVW, Henry teamed with Nick Dinsmore to compete in a tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship in mid-2001.^[7] Later that year, he went on hiatus from wrestling to concentrate on weightlifting, and on February 23, 2002, he won a strongman competition, the inaugeral Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio.^[7][22]

Brand switches (2002–2004)[link]

Henry returned to the WWF the next month and was sent to the SmackDown! brand, where he developed an in-ring persona of performing "tests of strength" while other wrestlers took bets on the tests, but the gimmick met with little success.^[2] During this time he competed against such superstars as Chris Jericho and Christian.^[7] After being used sporadically on WWE (formerly WWF) television during 2002, as he was training for a weightlifting contest, and suffering a knee injury, Henry was sent back to OVW for more training.^[2][7]

In August 2003, Henry returned to WWE television on the Raw roster, where he found some success as a member of "Thuggin' And Buggin' Enterprises," a group of African Americans led by Theodore Long who worked a race angle in which they felt they were victims of racism and were being held down by the "white man".^[7] During that time, Henry was involved in a brief program with World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg when former champion, Triple H, put a bounty on Goldberg.^[2] This was followed by a brief rivalry with Shawn Michaels, before he engaged in a rivalry with Booker T.^[23][24][25] After defeating Booker T twice, once in a street fight and once in a six-man tag team match, he lost to Booker T at the Armageddon pay-per-view in December 2003.^[26][27][28] At a practice session in OVW in February 2004, Henry tore his quadriceps muscle, and was out for over a year after undergoing surgery.^[2][7] Henry was then utilized by WWE as a public relations figure during his recovery, before returning to OVW to finish out 2005.^[7]

SmackDown! (2005–2006)[link]

Henry in 2006.

During the December 30 episode of SmackDown!, Henry made his return to television, as he interfered in a WWE Tag Team Championship match, joining with MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, and Melina), to help them defeat Rey Mysterio and Batista for the championship.^[29] A week later on SmackDown!, Henry got in a confrontation with the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, and went on to interfere in a steel cage match between MNM and the team of Mysterio and Batista, helping MNM to retain their titles.^[30] Henry then had another match with Batista at a live event where Batista received a severely torn triceps that required surgery, forcing him to vacate his title. On the January 10, 2006 episode of SmackDown!, Henry was involved in a battle royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. He was finally tossed out by Kurt Angle, who won the title.^[31][32]

Henry vs The Undertaker.

A week later, Henry received assistance from Daivari, who turned on Angle and announced that he was the manager of Henry.^[33] With Daivari at his side, Henry would face Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight title at the 2006 Royal Rumble in January, which he lost when Angle hit him with a chair (without the referee seeing) and pinned Henry with a roll-up.^[34]

On the March 10 episode of SmackDown!, after putting Kurt Angle through a table with a diving splash, Henry was then challenged to a casket match by The Undertaker at WrestleMania 22.^[35] Henry vowed to defeat The Undertaker and end his streak at WrestleMania, but was unsuccessful in this quest as The Undertaker would defeat Henry at the event.^[36] Henry would get a rematch against the Undertaker on the April 7 episode of SmackDown!, however it ended in a no contest when Daivari announced his new client, The Great Khali, who was also making his debut. Khali then went to the ring and started to attack the Undertaker, thus ending the feud between them.^[37]

During the rest of April and May, Henry gained a pinfall victory over the World Heavyweight Champion, Rey Mysterio in a non-title match.^[38] Henry would also enter the King of the Ring tournament, in which he was defeated by Bobby Lashley in the first round.^[39] He later cost Kurt Angle his World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Mysterio, when he jumped off the top rope and crushed Angle through a table. Henry was then challenged by Angle to face off at Judgment Day, Henry then sent a "message" to Angle by defeating Paul Burchill.^[40] At Judgment Day, Henry defeated Angle by countout.^[41] Although winning, Angle got his revenge after the match by hitting Henry with a chair and putting him through a table.^[41]

Henry later went on what was referred to as a "path of destruction", causing injuries to numerous superstars. Henry "took out" Chris Benoit and Paul Burchill on this path of destruction, and attacked Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero.^[42][43][44] These events led up to a feud with the returning Batista, whom Henry had put out of action with a legitimate injury several months beforehand. When Batista returned he and Henry were scheduled to face one another at The Great American Bash in July.^[45] Weeks before that event, however, on the July 15, 2006 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, Henry was involved in a six-man tag team match with King Booker and Finlay against Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Bobby Lashley.^[46] During the match, Henry was injured, canceling the scheduled match at The Great American Bash, as Henry needed surgery. Doctors later found that Henry completely tore his patella tendon off the bone and split his patella completely in two.^[47]

Return from injury and various feuds (2007–2008)[link]

Henry returned on the May 11, 2007 episode of SmackDown!, after weeks of vignettes hyping his return.^[48] He attacked The Undertaker after a World Heavyweight Championship steel cage match with Batista, allowing Edge to take advantage of the situation and use his Money in the Bank contract.^[49] Henry then began a short feud with Kane, defeating him in a Lumberjack Match at One Night Stand.^[50] Shortly after, Henry made an open challenge to the SmackDown! locker room, which nobody ever accepted. In the coming weeks he faced various jobbers—wrestlers who consistently lose to make their opponents look stronger—and quickly defeated them all.^[51][52] On August 3, he claimed that nobody accepted the open challenge to step into the ring with him because of what he had done to The Undertaker, presenting footage of his assault on the Undertaker.^[53] The Undertaker responded over the following weeks, playing various mind games with Henry.^[54][55] Henry finally faced The Undertaker again at Unforgiven in September, losing to him after being given a Last Ride.^[56] Two weeks later, Henry lost a rematch to The Undertaker after The Undertaker performed a chokeslam on Henry.^[57]

After a short hiatus, Henry returned to WWE programming on the October 23 episode of ECW, attacking Kane, along with The Great Khali and Big Daddy V.^[58] Henry then began teaming with Big Daddy V against Kane and CM Punk, and was briefly managed by Big Daddy V's manager, Matt Striker.^[2] At Armageddon, Henry and Big Daddy V defeated Kane and Punk.^[59] Before WrestleMania XXIV aired, Henry participated in a 24-man battle royal to determine the number one contender for the ECW Championship, but failed to win.^[60]

ECW Champion (2008–2009)[link]

Henry as ECW Champion with Tony Atlas.

As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, Henry was drafted to the ECW brand.^[61] At Night of Champions, Henry defeated Kane and Big Show in a Triple Threat match to capture the ECW Championship in his debut match as an ECW superstar.^[62] Upon winning the title, it was made exclusive to the ECW brand once again. Henry's title win came nearly a full decade after he was awarded the European Championship, which was back in 1999 and the only title he held in WWE.^[8] A few weeks later, Hall of Famer Tony Atlas returned to WWE to act as Henry's manager. A month after Henry's title win, ECW General Manager, Theodore Long, unveiled a new, entirely platinum ECW Championship belt design.^[63] Henry would lose the title at Unforgiven in the Championship Scramble match to Matt Hardy.^[64]

Henry attempted to regain the championship throughout the end of 2008, including a match against Hardy at No Mercy, but was unsuccessful.^[65] Henry and Atlas then engaged in a scripted rivalry against Finlay and Hornswoggle, which included Henry losing a Belfast Brawl at Armageddon.^[66][67] At the start of 2009, Henry qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXV, and was involved in a series of matches with the other competitors on Raw, SmackDown, and ECW.^[68][69][70] He was unsuccessful at WrestleMania, however, as CM Punk won the match.^[71] In May, Henry began a rivalry with Evan Bourne, which began after Bourne defeated Henry by countout on the May 26 episode of ECW.^[72]

Raw and various tag teams (2009–2011)[link]

Henry before a tag team match with MVP.

On June 29, Henry was traded to the Raw brand and redebuted for the brand that night as the third opponent in a three-on-one gauntlet match against Randy Orton, which he won, turning Henry into a fan favorite in the process.^[73] In August 2009, Henry formed a tag team with Montel Vontavious Porter,the two formed a tag team called The World's Strongest Tag Team and the two challenged the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and The Big Show) for the title at Breaking Point, but were unsuccessful.^[74][75] They stopped teaming afterwards, becoming involved in separate storylines, until the February 15, 2010 episode of Raw in which they defeated the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Big Show and The Miz in a non-title match.^[76] The next week they challenged The Big Show and The Miz in a title match but were unsuccessful.^[77] At Extreme Rules, Henry and MVP fought for a chance to become number one contenders to the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships, but were the second team eliminated in a gauntlet match by The Big Show and The Miz. The match would be won by The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith).^[78]

It was later announced that Henry would mentor Lucky Cannon in the second season of WWE NXT.^[79][80] Cannon was eliminated on the August 10 episode of NXT.^[81] In September, Henry began teaming with Evan Bourne, starting at the Night of Champions pay-per-view, where they entered a Tag Team Turmoil for the WWE Tag Team Championship. They made it to the final two before being defeated by Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.^[82] The team came to an end in October when Bourne suffered an injury and was taken out of action. Henry then formed a team with Yoshi Tatsu on the November 29 episode of Raw, defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, after a distraction by John Cena.^[83] They received a shot at the championship the next week, in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match, which also included The Usos and Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov. Henry and Tatsu were the first team eliminated in the match.^[84]

World Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Pain (2011–present)[link]

Henry at Tribute to the Troops.

On the April 25, 2011, episode of Raw, Henry was drafted back to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2011 WWE Draft. In the main event of the night, Henry attacked his teammates, John Cena and Christian, turning heel as a result.^[85] On the May 27 episode of SmackDown, Henry participated in a Triple Threat match against Sheamus and Christian to decide the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Sheamus. Henry then began a feud with Big Show, attacking him during matches and backstage. On the July 1 episode of SmackDown, Show would cost Henry a match against Randy Orton, by playing his titantron during the match, resulting in Henry getting counted out. If Henry would have won, he would become the new number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. Afterward, Henry would destroy the production set.^[86] At Money in the Bank, Henry would defeat Big Show in a singles match. After the match, Henry would crush Show's foot with a chair, (kayfabe) injuring him.^[87] On the following SmackDown, Henry would do the same to Kane.^[88]

Henry defeated a local wrestler on the July 29 episode of SmackDown, where, after the match, Theodore Long informed Henry that he could no longer compete as no one wants to fight him. Sheamus interrupted, saying he isn't afraid of Henry before slapping him. On the August 5 episode of SmackDown, Henry defeated Vladimir Kozlov and after the match would crush his leg. At SummerSlam, Henry defeated Sheamus by count-out.^[89]

Mark Henry as World Heavyweight Champion.

On the August 19 episode of SmackDown, Henry won a 20-man Battle Royal to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship to face Orton at Night of Champions^[90] and throughout weeks on SmackDown and on the September 11 episode of Raw, Henry would attack Orton getting the advantage over him.^{[91][92][93][94]} At Night of Champions, Henry defeated Randy Orton to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time.^[9] On the September 26 episode of Raw, Henry was set to face The Great Khali, but before the match, Henry would use the World Heavyweight title to attack Khali, before hitting him with the World's Strongest Slam. Henry and Khali would fight again on that week's episode of SmackDown, where Henry was successful. After the match, Henry crushed Khali's foot with a chair, (kayfabe) injuring him.^[95] Henry successfully defended the title against Orton at Hell in a Cell in a Hell in a Cell match.^[96]

On the October 7 episode of Smackdown, Big Show returned and chokeslammed Henry through a table, thus earning a title shot against Mark Henry at Vengeance. In this heated match, Henry would go on to superplex the Big Show from the top rope and the ring collapsed under their combined weight, similar to when Brock Lesnar superplexed Big Show off the top rope, and the match resulted in a No Contest.^[97] Then he began a feud with Daniel Bryan after seeing him look at him the wrong way while being interviewed. Mark Henry would defeat Bryan by diqualification that night after being attacked by Big Show. Teddy Long would then announce that Henry would face The Big Show at Survivor Series for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the November 18 episode of SmackDown, Henry viciously assaulted Bryan and promised that Big Show will be carried out of Survivor Series by paramedics and he would leave still the World Heavyweight Champion.^[98] At Survivor Series Henry retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show after a low blow that disqualified Henry. Angered by Henry's cowardice Big Show smashed Henry's ankle with a steel chair.^[99] The following SmackDown, Henry was attacked by The Big Show with a W.M.D after Henry insulted Big Show. Daniel Bryan would immediately race out to cash in his Money in The Bank briefcase on an uncounscious Henry, where he pinned him but Theodore Long rushed out to the ring to tell Bryan the match was not legal due to the fact that Henry was not medically cleared to compete.^[100] Later that night, Bryan won a Fatal-Four Way match to face Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage.^[101] On the November 29 live holiday episode of SmackDown, Henry would defeat Bryan after hitting him with a "World's Strongest Slam" from the top rope and retained the World Heavyweight Championship.^[102]

At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Henry lost the World Heavyweight Championship to the Big Show in a chairs match. After the match, he knocked the Big Show out then Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase winning his first ever World Heavyweight Championship.^[103] On the January 6, 2012, edition of SmackDown, Henry would cost Big Show a championship match after he pushed Bryan, making him win by disqualification.^[104] On the January 20 edition of SmackDown, Bryan retained the championship against Henry in a Lumberjack match after the lumberjacks came in and attacked them.^[105] At the 2012 Royal Rumble event, Henry faced Bryan and Show in a triple threat steel cage match for the world title, but Bryan escaped the steel cage to retain his title.^[106]

On the February 3 edition of SmackDown, Henry was suspended indefinitely (in storyline) by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long after Henry physically acosted Long as he demanded a one-on-one rematch that night with Bryan. In reality, Henry suffered a hyper-extended knee the previous week.^{[107][108][109]} He would then appear in backstage segments on the February 17 edition of SmackDown and at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.^[110][111] Henry returned to in-ring action on the February 20 edition of Raw Supershow, in a losing effort against Sheamus.^[112] Following this loss, Henry went on a three match losing streak against the likes of Sheamus and Big Show.^{[113][114][115]} He finally ended his losing streak by defeating Ezekiel Jackson on the March 9 edition of SmackDown.^[116] On the April 2 and 9 editions of Raw SuperShow, Henry faced CM Punk for the WWE Championship which he won by count-out and disqualification; as a result Punk retained his title.^[117][118] On the April 16 edition of Raw SuperShow, Punk defeated Henry in a no disqualification, no countout match to retain the WWE Championship.^[119] On May 14, Henry announced he was going under a career-threatening surgery for an injury.^[120]

Personal life[link]

He is the cousin of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Kevin Henry.^[2] Henry's father, Ernest, died of complications from diabetes when Henry was twelve.^[11] He has an older brother, Pat.^[11] When Henry was fourteen, he was diagnosed with dyslexia.^[10]

Henry played American football in high school, until his senior year, when he strained ligaments in his wrist.^[10]

Henry lives in New York with his wife Jana and his son Jacob.^[121] As of 2002, he has driven a Hummer that he won in the Arnold Strongman Classic that same year.^[122]

In wrestling[link]

Henry prepares to perform a World's Strongest Slam on John Cena.

Henry prepares to perform a Swinging full nelson on John Cena.

Henry performing a body avalanche on Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes.

• Finishing moves
  • World's Strongest Slam^[1][2] (High-angle falling powerslam)^[123]
• Signature moves
  • Bearhug^[124][125]
  • Backbreaker drop
  • Body avalanche^[126]
  • Body block
  • Corner slingshot splash (Sometimes used on the opponent's steel chair bound leg, causing storyline injury)^[127]
  • Elbow drop
  • Fallaway slam
  • Gorilla press drop^[128] or slam^[123]
  • Headbutt^[129]
  • Leapfrog body guillotine^[130]
  • Running splash^{[2][126][129][131]}
  • Scoop powerslam^[125]

• Managers
  • Tony Atlas^[132]
  • Daivari^[7]
  • Ivory^[7]
  • Theodore Long^[7]
  • Melina^[30]
  • Matt Striker^[2][59]
  • Mae Young^[7]

• Nicknames
  • "The King of the Jungle"^[133]
  • "Sexual Chocolate"^[2][132]
  • "The Silverback"^[133]
  • "The World's Strongest Champion" (Used during his ECW Championship reign and his World Heavyweight Championship reign)^[134]
  • "The World's Strongest Man"^[7]

• Entrance themes
  • "Power" by Jim Johnston (1998)^[135]
  • "Sexual Chocolate" performed by Stevan Swann and composed by Jim Johnston (1998–2000; November 15, 2010)^[136][137]
  • "MacMillitant" by Miestro (2003–2004; Used while a part of Thuggin' and Buggin' Enterprises)
  • "The Wall" by Heat Mobb (WWE)
  • "I'm Comin'" by Silkk the Shocker (2009–2010; Used while Teaming with MVP)
  • "Some Bodies Gonna Get It" by Three 6 Mafia (May 21, 2006–present)^[138]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Henry as World Heavyweight Champion.

Henry as ECW Champion.

Powerlifting[link]

• All-time world former raw (unequipped) squat world record holder (430 Kilograms)^[139]

Professional wrestling[link]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2011)^[140]
  • PWI ranked him #41 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006^[141]

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
  • ECW Championship (1 time)^[62]
  • World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ^[9]
  • WWF European Championship (1 time)^[8]
  • Slammy Award for “Holy $#!+ Move of the Year” (2011) – with Big Show

Strongman athletics[link]

• Arnold Classic
  • Arnold Classic Strongest Man (2002)^[7]
• International Sports Hall of Fame
  • International Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2012) ^[142]

Weightlifting[link]

• Olympic Games
  • Olympic Games team member (1992, 1996)

• Pan American Games
  • Pan American Games Silver Medalist (1995)
• Senior American record holder in Snatch, Clean and jerk, and Total (1993–1997)
• Senior National Championship (1993, 1994, 1996)

See also[link]

• List of strongmen

References[link]