10 Insane Things WWE Will Never Do Again
4. Throw Millions At A Rookie
In an era where NXT rookies reportedly earn a salary somewhere in the region of $40k per annum, the idea of somebody with zero experience stumbling into the company on a $10 million contract is completely absurd.
That’s exactly what happened with Mark Henry in 1996. The Olympian signed a bumper 10-year deal soon after competing in the summer games, with the big man scooping a cool $1 million p/a, while also being granted three months off each year to train for powerlifting competitions. Henry was earning main event money before he’d even worked a match, and while he’d eventually forge a Hall of Fame-worthy career, it took a long, long time.
Clumsy, awkward, and extremely injury-prone, Henry struggled to adapt to his new profession early on. Later saddled with the horrendous ‘Sexual Chocolate’ gimmick, he was one of the least convincing performers on the roster, and was sent back to developmental to hone his skills on a number of occasions.
It took the best part of a decade before he developed into anything close to competent, and Henry didn’t truly peak until 2006. Regardless, for the initial 10-year period alone, Mark offered little return on WWE’s colossal investment. His story is why WWE are best to exercise caution when tempted to throw money at green rookies.