It seems the WWF has a track record of swinging and missing on who they believed would be major talents. Mark Henry was an Olympic strongman who received a ludicrous 10-year contract in 1996 from the WWF. At only 24 years old, Henry had no previous wrestling experience, only competing in powerlifting competitions. Anybody who ever read Mick Foleys first autobiography, Have a Nice Day, would recall the passage where there was a merchandise meeting for all of the t-shirt designs that Mark Henry would have, and Steve Austin walked by and joked aloud, Hey, how about a shirt for ol Stone Cold? which received a nervous and lukewarm response. This would be months before the Austin 3:16 speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rGQ8BBaqHQ By all accounts, Henry ended up having a very impressive career based on consistency and longevity, but he never quite met the expectations that the WWF had for him when they originally signed him in 1996.
