10 WWE Superstars That Got Out At The Right Time
3. Mark Henry
Mark Henry's real-life exit from full-time competition was rather understated compared to his legendary kayfabe effort at John Cena's expense in 2013, but there's a joyous irony to the fact that a man the company repeatedly tried to chase off now appears to be a loyal and trusted lifer.
After realising they'd committed to more than they felt capable of following the 10-year deal offered to the former olympian, WWE attempted to book Henry so badly that he'd be forced out of the door completely. Almost everything was a rib, and when it wasn't, it was cruel, unusual and unhelpful.
After battling injuries and the company's obsession with getting him to drop weight throughout much of the early-2000s, he finally made a permanent place for himself on the main roster in 2002. Various moves between brands and across the heel/face divide barely mattered after that. Much like The Big Show, Henry was a fiercely reliable monster-for-hire, and was deployed as such for the remainder of his career. A 2011 World Heavyweight Championship victory was well-deserved 15 years after his dozy debut, as was his 2018 Hall Of Fame induction a year removed from his quiet retirement.