8. Mark Henry's 'Retirement' Promo - Monday Night Raw - June 17th 2013
Mark Henry is an interesting case in the history of wrestling. He is one of the longest tenured superstars the WWE has ever seen (18 years and counting), but for the vast majority of his career was considered to have fallen short of his full potential. He is perhaps best known for his 'Sexual Chocolate' character during the Attitude Era, a wacky time whenever WWE could actually present a character as a diagnosed sex addict with an octogenarian girlfriend who gave birth to a disembodied hand. True story, swear to God. Henry featured in a few more high profile angles during his career, including a tilt at the World Heavyweight Championship in 2006, but mostly he was used as a mid-card special attraction. This all changed in 2011, when it seemed a switch went off in Henry's head, coupled with WWE creative finally realising how best to utilise him. Henry's 'Hall Of Pain' run, which saw him finally capture the World Championship after 15 years, was a sublime run that can be seen as the blueprint for how to book a 'monster heel' in wrestling. Henry dropped a bit of weight, becoming more mobile in the ring and tapped into a previously unseen level of intensity in his promo's. Henry's 'retirement' promo, which came two years later in 2013, would not have been even half as effective without his reinvention in 2011, as it hinged on fans actually being sad that he was announcing his intention to call it a day. And fans did care, chanting 'Thank you, Henry'. It was clear that he had raised his status in their eyes and whenever John Cena came out to join in the love session, fans and viewers still didn't catch on. However, when Henry picked up Cena and delivered a World's Strongest Slam, the place nearly came unglued, as they had been genuinely suckered in by a expertly performed and seemingly heartfelt speech. Very well played, Mark Henry.
