There is a reason that WWE refers to Mark Henry as the World's Strongest Man. Widely considered one of the great power lifters in United States Olympic team history, Henry likely would have collected at least on gold medal had it not been for an injury suffered during the 1996 games in Atlanta. A first-place finisher in every major weightlifting competition in the country, Henry was well on his way to setting records and etching his name in stone as one of the greatest that sport had ever seen. Then WWE came calling and threw a ton of money in his direction and Henry opted to take his talents in a new direction. Like Patera before him, his strength was heavily hyped by Vince McMahon and the rest of the announce team. He was clad in red, white and blue and his story was repeated on every syndicated television program WWE produced. Thankfully, no one played up his wrestling ability because for the first half of his career, it was awful. Outside of punches, kicks and slams, Henry was largely ineffective between the ropes. It was not until he shed all of the excess weight, the ridiculous gimmicks and focused on a skill set that showcased his strength rather than the basics that first-week learners utilize that Henry began to develop as a worker. The more he competed against, and learned from, top stars in the industry, the better he became. Soon, he was laying waste to the likes of Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Chris Benoit, John Cena, Batista and Randy Orton with his patented World's Strongest Slam. In 2011, he achieved what few others on this list could when he delivered said slam to Orton and captured the World Heavyweight Championship. That title was the culmination of fifteen years of hard work and dedication. It, along with his impressive displays of raw power and fury, make Henry the greatest powerhouse in WWE history.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
