Mark Henry on His Four Athletic Lives and Advice for Wrestlers in a Rut

Fred: I’m sitting alongside the World’s Strongest Man, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, here at the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame weekend in Atlantic City on Royal Rumble weekend. Mr. Henry, what brings you here today?

Mark Henry: I just love Alan Goldberg. He’s just an honest and sweet guy. I’ve known him for years and years, and I told him I was going to come, and here I am.

Fred: You’ve had an incredible wrestling career, but also an amazing powerlifting career. When I was doing my research, your list of wrestling accomplishments was insane, but your pre-wrestling accomplishments are insane as well. Looking back, does it feel like a tale of two lives, the one before wrestling and the one during it?

Mark Henry: It’s actually been about four lives. I started off in powerlifting and became a world champion. I went on to Olympic weightlifting and became the national champion and a two-time Olympian. While I was wrestling, I said, “You know what? I’m gonna go back,” and I started doing strongman, and in 2002, I won that world championship. Then I won the world championship in pro wrestling. I think I’m listed as the only human being with a world title in three sports that have nothing to do with each other.

Fred: That’s pretty incredible. You had a nice cameo on the 25th anniversary of Monday Night Raw with the Godfather, and it reminded me how long you’ve been around. Since 1996, right?

Mark Henry: It’s been a long time.

Fred: You came in with a lot of hype after the Olympics, went through some adversity, but ended your career on a high note. What advice would you give wrestlers in WWE or another organization who are in a creative rut? You were up and down, in some main events, out injured and at OVW at one point, and then the last five, six or seven years of your career were some of your best work.

Mark Henry: There are always storms. A lot was expected of me, and I had never done wrestling before. I came in cold turkey, so for me to come out of an anaerobic sport, go to an aerobic sport and become world champion is pretty unheard of. I’m proud that a lot of work went into it, but it wasn’t shocking to me. It took me about three or four years to get really rolling. Look at people who train for a black belt. It’s not gonna happen in a year, either. Once I got my steam up, it was just rolling downhill. I got in a lot of fights and arguments with people, and that’s why I went to Canada and why I went to OVW, because you have to humble yourself and acclimate yourself to whatever industry you’re in.

Fred: We really do appreciate the time. As somebody who’s had tremendous success, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give everybody watching right now?

Mark Henry: Shoot your shot. Don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t think stuff is gonna come to you. You have to go and take it until people tell you to stop.