Nation
Guest
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Professional wrestler Mark Henry, all 390 pounds of him, is used to drawing stares. Even people who haven't seen him perform at an arena or on television can't help but notice his vending-machine build or the Hummer he drives, the one he received for winning a 2002 strongman competition promoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Lately, though, Henry said, "I've been getting dirty looks from people. I was talking to this guy at the airport and he said, 'You guys are all getting exposed.' When people make generalizations about me they're usually wrong. I don't do drugs. I'm not some animal. I'm not some Neanderthal."
Henry is dealing with the shock and grief stemming from the recent death of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, whom police said killed his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide in the family's Georgia home. In the wake of the tragedy, wrestling's excesses, including steroid use, are again coming under fire from critics, some of whom have called for a Congressional investigation of the business.
The 36-year-old Henry, an Austin resident who's been a wrestler for more than a decade, also has to grapple with trying to lead a normal life in a surreal world.
"The travel alone would kill most people. We might do 250 shows a year," he said.
Henry doesn't ride with other wrestlers to any World Wrestling Entertainment matches. A husband and father of a 21-month-old son, Henry said one reason he drives solo is for safety, that he has less chance of getting in an accident that might cause an injury that could affect his career. The other reason, he said, is that he doesn't want to be in a car if recreational or performance-enhancing drugs belonging to another wrestler are discovered by law enforcement officials.
"If they get caught, then I'd be (considered) guilty, too. If we get pulled over we're both going down," Henry said.
Henry said of the 75 wrestlers he works with, he's close friends with maybe five or six. He said that's pretty typical in the business, because wrestlers are independent contractors.
One of the reasons Henry, a two-time Olympic weightlifter, is still in wrestling is Benoit.
At a show 31/2 years ago, Benoit slapped a cross-face hold on Henry and dislocated Henry's already injured shoulder, knocking him out of action and raising his doubts about whether to continue in his line of work.
"Chris Benoit is the one who kept me going. He's the one who would call and say, 'You have to come back.' He didn't have to do that," Henry said.
Henry was at a WWE event in Beaumont on Saturday, June 24, when Benoit didn't show. "Then, when he didn't show up for the pay-per-view-event in Houston," Henry said, "we're thinking, 'Darn, he never misses a show.' "
On Monday, June 26, the WWE live event in Corpus Christi was canceled because of the Benoit family deaths, but at that time Henry said the wrestlers thought the killings might have been the result of a home invasion.
Authorities, however, said Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, before hanging himself from a pulley on a weight machine.
"How he did what he did ... ," Henry said, shaking his head. "We were torn up. The thing is, no one saw it coming. This is never going to leave me. I'll be on my deathbed and still thinking about it."
A longtime, vocal critic of steroid use
Authorities said they found anabolic steroids at Benoit's home, and Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin, has since been charged with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs.
World Wrestling Entertainment was quick to issue a statement that said "roid rage" was not a factor in the deaths.
"WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time to the motive for these acts," the statement read.
Henry has long been vocal about the problems tied to steroids.
Growing up in Silsbee, he was a weightlifting prodigy as a teenager and has long had an extraordinary build.
The 6-foot-3-inch Henry has a 24-inch neck and biceps, and his ring size is 18. He has set powerlifting records and also represented the United States in weightlifting at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
"My whole life I competed against people who used steroids," said Henry, who as an Olympian was subject to frequent drug testing, including nine tests in 1995 alone.
He's still chafed about an "HBO Real Sports" segment he did in 1996 because he contends host Bryant Gumbel made him sound like a crybaby for bringing up the performance-enhancing drug use of other weightlifters.
Henry now points to the steroid scandals that have hit some Olympic sports and Major League Baseball as evidence he knew what he was talking about back then.
As much as he has spoken out against steroid use, Henry didn't point to 'roid rage as a simple answer for the Benoit deaths.
"Steroids may contribute, but there are bodybuilders who have taken a lot more," Henry said.
Painkillers also are abused by some wrestlers and have sometimes been linked to their deaths. Bobby Duncum, a former University of Texas football player and a wrestler, died in 2000 at age 34 after overdosing on a painkiller while attempting to cope with injuries.
Henry has not been immune from injury despite his size. Probably his most serious wrestling injury happened last July when, in a six-man tag team event, he tore his patella tendon and split his kneecap in two.
After surgery Henry did not wrestle in another WWE bout until May, but he said that painkillers don't have to become a part of performing.
"It's just sucking it up and going," Henry said.
Although he once wrestled as Sexual Chocolate, Henry's weakness is barbecue.
When he can, he likes to go to Lockhart or Taylor for brisket and sausage.
Henry, who has studied acting and would like to have a career in that field when he's done wrestling, is also big on martial arts films.
As for fame, he said the weirdest thing is that strangers will just walk up and punch him in the ribs or slap him on the chest — hard — as if they are some kind of long-lost friend.
"I'm not some big, jovial fat guy," Henry warned. "Don't hit me."
jmaher@statesman.com; 445-3956
Great to see a wwe employee finally be honest.
Professional wrestler Mark Henry, all 390 pounds of him, is used to drawing stares. Even people who haven't seen him perform at an arena or on television can't help but notice his vending-machine build or the Hummer he drives, the one he received for winning a 2002 strongman competition promoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Lately, though, Henry said, "I've been getting dirty looks from people. I was talking to this guy at the airport and he said, 'You guys are all getting exposed.' When people make generalizations about me they're usually wrong. I don't do drugs. I'm not some animal. I'm not some Neanderthal."
Henry is dealing with the shock and grief stemming from the recent death of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, whom police said killed his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide in the family's Georgia home. In the wake of the tragedy, wrestling's excesses, including steroid use, are again coming under fire from critics, some of whom have called for a Congressional investigation of the business.
The 36-year-old Henry, an Austin resident who's been a wrestler for more than a decade, also has to grapple with trying to lead a normal life in a surreal world.
"The travel alone would kill most people. We might do 250 shows a year," he said.
Henry doesn't ride with other wrestlers to any World Wrestling Entertainment matches. A husband and father of a 21-month-old son, Henry said one reason he drives solo is for safety, that he has less chance of getting in an accident that might cause an injury that could affect his career. The other reason, he said, is that he doesn't want to be in a car if recreational or performance-enhancing drugs belonging to another wrestler are discovered by law enforcement officials.
"If they get caught, then I'd be (considered) guilty, too. If we get pulled over we're both going down," Henry said.
Henry said of the 75 wrestlers he works with, he's close friends with maybe five or six. He said that's pretty typical in the business, because wrestlers are independent contractors.
One of the reasons Henry, a two-time Olympic weightlifter, is still in wrestling is Benoit.
At a show 31/2 years ago, Benoit slapped a cross-face hold on Henry and dislocated Henry's already injured shoulder, knocking him out of action and raising his doubts about whether to continue in his line of work.
"Chris Benoit is the one who kept me going. He's the one who would call and say, 'You have to come back.' He didn't have to do that," Henry said.
Henry was at a WWE event in Beaumont on Saturday, June 24, when Benoit didn't show. "Then, when he didn't show up for the pay-per-view-event in Houston," Henry said, "we're thinking, 'Darn, he never misses a show.' "
On Monday, June 26, the WWE live event in Corpus Christi was canceled because of the Benoit family deaths, but at that time Henry said the wrestlers thought the killings might have been the result of a home invasion.
Authorities, however, said Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, before hanging himself from a pulley on a weight machine.
"How he did what he did ... ," Henry said, shaking his head. "We were torn up. The thing is, no one saw it coming. This is never going to leave me. I'll be on my deathbed and still thinking about it."
A longtime, vocal critic of steroid use
Authorities said they found anabolic steroids at Benoit's home, and Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin, has since been charged with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs.
World Wrestling Entertainment was quick to issue a statement that said "roid rage" was not a factor in the deaths.
"WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time to the motive for these acts," the statement read.
Henry has long been vocal about the problems tied to steroids.
Growing up in Silsbee, he was a weightlifting prodigy as a teenager and has long had an extraordinary build.
The 6-foot-3-inch Henry has a 24-inch neck and biceps, and his ring size is 18. He has set powerlifting records and also represented the United States in weightlifting at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
"My whole life I competed against people who used steroids," said Henry, who as an Olympian was subject to frequent drug testing, including nine tests in 1995 alone.
He's still chafed about an "HBO Real Sports" segment he did in 1996 because he contends host Bryant Gumbel made him sound like a crybaby for bringing up the performance-enhancing drug use of other weightlifters.
Henry now points to the steroid scandals that have hit some Olympic sports and Major League Baseball as evidence he knew what he was talking about back then.
As much as he has spoken out against steroid use, Henry didn't point to 'roid rage as a simple answer for the Benoit deaths.
"Steroids may contribute, but there are bodybuilders who have taken a lot more," Henry said.
Painkillers also are abused by some wrestlers and have sometimes been linked to their deaths. Bobby Duncum, a former University of Texas football player and a wrestler, died in 2000 at age 34 after overdosing on a painkiller while attempting to cope with injuries.
Henry has not been immune from injury despite his size. Probably his most serious wrestling injury happened last July when, in a six-man tag team event, he tore his patella tendon and split his kneecap in two.
After surgery Henry did not wrestle in another WWE bout until May, but he said that painkillers don't have to become a part of performing.
"It's just sucking it up and going," Henry said.
Although he once wrestled as Sexual Chocolate, Henry's weakness is barbecue.
When he can, he likes to go to Lockhart or Taylor for brisket and sausage.
Henry, who has studied acting and would like to have a career in that field when he's done wrestling, is also big on martial arts films.
As for fame, he said the weirdest thing is that strangers will just walk up and punch him in the ribs or slap him on the chest — hard — as if they are some kind of long-lost friend.
"I'm not some big, jovial fat guy," Henry warned. "Don't hit me."
jmaher@statesman.com; 445-3956
Great to see a wwe employee finally be honest.
