Mark Henry

At 53 years old, Mark Henry has this physical status:

Powerlifting career

By the time Mark Henry was in the fourth grade, he was 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and weighed 225 lb (102 kg). When he was ten years old, his mother bought a set of weights for him. During Henry's freshman year at Silsbee High School, he was already able to squat 600 lb (270 kg), which was well over school record. Henry, an 18-year-old high school senior, was dubbed "the world's best teenager" by the Los Angeles Times in early 1990, when he broke the National High School Powerlifting Championships and set new world records in the squat 832 lb (377 kg) and total 2,033 kg (922 kg). Henry was a three-time Texas state champion with state and national records in all four powerlifting divisions by the time he finished high school—the squat at 832 lb (377 kg), bench press at 525 lb (376 kg), and deadlift at 815 kg (922 kg).

Terry Todd, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin and former weightlifter, met Henry and persuaded him to train in the Olympic style of weightlifting at the Texas High School Powerlifting Championships in April 1990. Henry, 19-year-old Henry finished second only to legendary six-time World Powerlifting Champion Kirk Karwoski in July 1990 at the USPF Senior National Powerlifting Championships. Though powerlifting is primarily reliant on brute strength and power, which Henry obviously did not have, Olympic weightlifting is considered more advanced, requiring more agility, flexibility, and technique. There have been few lifters in history who have been able to excel in both lifting and lifting disciplines. Weightlifting is a process that takes years of training, but Henry set four national junior records in weightlifting after only eight months of training. He won the United States National Junior Championships in April 1991, 20 days later, he finished fourth at the United States Senior National Championships in Germany and sixth at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships in April. He was crowned 1991's World Junior Champion in Powerlifiting just a few weeks after. In Henry's first year of competitive weightlifting, he set all three junior (20 and under) American records 12 times and became the top Superheavyweight in the United States, defeating Mario Martinez.

Henry was already registered for the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he finished tenth in the Superweight division at tenth place. Henry began training with Dragomir Cioroslan, a bronze medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics, who said he had "never seen anyone with Mark's natural talent" ten months before the 1992 Olympics. Following the Olympics, Henry became more determined to concentrate on weightlifting and began competing around the world. He earned the U.S. National Weightlifting Championships in late 1992 and 1994, but also the United States Olympic Festival Championships in 1993 and 1994. Henry obtained a gold, silver, and bronze medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.

He competed in powerlifting and stunned the world by winning the ADFPA National Powerlifting Championships in 1995, achieving a pinnacle of weightlifting on a national and continental basis. Despite competing without assistance, Henry managed to outclass the lifter in second place by 286 lb (130 kg), not only being the second best man of 1997 but also America's Most Valuable Man, Mark Philippi. He set all-time world records in the raw deadlift at 903.9 lb (41.0 kg) and the squat without a squat suit at 948.0 lb (430.0 kg) as well as the all-time drug tested raw total of 1,314.8 lb (1,050.0 kg). He competed in the drug-free Powerlifting World Championships later this year and won again, despite the fact that he only trained on the powerlifts sparingly—due to his main concern now being on the two Olympic lifts. He not only became the World Champion by winning the tournament, but he also improved his previous all-time squat world record to 953.5 lb (1,060.0 kg) and his all-time drug tested world record total to 2,336.9 kg).

Henry Henry became the North America, Central America, and Caribbean Islands champion in 1996. (NACAC) For the third time, he gained the opportunity to compete in the Olympics by winning the National Weightlifting Championships in the spring of 1996 for the third time. During his reign (1993–1997), Henry became the Senior US American record holder (1993–1997) in the Snatch at 396.83 lb (1820 kg), clean and jerk at 485 lb (220 kg), total of 488.9 kg), setting new personal records. In the opinion of several experts in track field of international lifting, including Dragomir Cioroslan, the '96s coach of the United States team, was the highest ever made by an athlete who had never used anabolic steroids and was drug-free. By that time, Henry was widely regarded as the world's best man, even by several of the Eastern Bloc athletes who outrank him in weightlifting. No one in the history of the sport has lifted so much as him in five competitive lifts—the snatch and the clean and jerk in weightlifting—the squat, bench press, and deadlift in powerlifting. According to lifting statistician Herb Glossbrenner, his five lift totals are still the highest in history by a fair amount, making him arguably one of the best men to ever lived and stamp him out, as the world's best lifter.

Henry received more attention and media coverage in Atlanta, Georgia, in the months leading up to the 1996 Summer Olympics. He appeared on Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as HBO Inside Sports and The Today Show. He was also published in dozens of magazines, including US News & World Report, People Vanity Fair, ESPN The Magazine, and Life, where he was photographed nude by famed artist Annie Lebowitz. He started a relationship with WWE owner Vince McMahon for the first time, resulting in his signing of a 10-year contract as a professional wrestler.

During Henry's final eight weeks of preparations for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he raised his lifts to 407 lb (185 kg). Henry, who was 6-foot-4-inches tall and 414 kg (188 kg) bodyweight, was named captain of the Olympic weightlifting team and was voted captain of the Olympic weightlifting team. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury during the games and was unable to return to his normal level of results. Due to the injury, he had to drop out after his first clean and jerk attempt and ended in 14th place. His appearance at the Olympics was his last official competition in Olympic weightlifting, with him resuming weightlifting and pledging never to return unless the sport is "cleaned up" of anabolic steroids use.

Since starting his career as a professional wrestler right after the Olympics, he broke his leg in the fall of 1996. However, he had rehabilitated it enough by the summer of the following year to qualify for the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in 1997, where he defeated the competition to become the United States National Powerlifting Champion in the Super Heavyweight class. He had intended to resume heavy lifting training, but his travel plans as a pro wrestler with the WWF (now WWE) has made it difficult. Mark's WWF contract was unique in several ways, with him getting at least three months off from wrestling each year so he can prepare for the national and world championships in weightlifting and powerlifting. Mark had hoped to return to the platform in late 1998, but was unable to lift for many years, eventually squatting at least 1,100 lb (450 kg) without a "squat suit" and eventually reaching deadlift 1,000 lb (450 kg).

Although he did not return to compete in official championships in early 1998, he was still able to do five repetitions in the bench press with 495 lb (388 kg), three repetitions in the squat with 855 lb (388 kg), and three repetitions in the standing press with 405 lb (184 kg) in training. At the time, he was weighing 338 pounds (170 kg), and Terry Todd's right upper arm was measured at 24 inches. Since he stopped lifting at the age of 26, it's likely that he never fulfilled his full physical fitness as a professional lifter. Henry is the youngest man to squat without a squat suit as well as the youngest to reach more than 2,300 pounds raw – he's the only one to have done any of these feats in under 25 years old.

done in official Powerlifting full meets

Powerlifting Total (Best Official Lifts) – 2,442.9 lb (1,108.0 kg) (953.5 + 425.5 + 410.0 kg) – Total (best official lifts) – 2,442.8 kg (1,108.0 kg) lb (1,108.0 kg) – 933.9 lb (1,108.0 kg) – 29,42.8 lb (1,108.0 kg) – 495.7 kg (432.5 + 410.0 kg) lb (432.6 – –

Powerlifting Total (best unofficial lifts) – 2,531 lb (1,148 kg) (1,006 + 2700 kg) - (best unofficial lifts) – 1,431 lb (1,148 kg) – (1,512 kg) 920 kg (456 + 420 kg) 320 kg) 512 kg (2,54 + 420 kg) lbs (1,056+ 420 kg) (42 + 420 kg)

done in official competition

Since the 1996 U.S. Nationals, the three three children have been training, but not before the Olympics, '96 was the most notable.

Professional wrestling career

Henry made his first appearance on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) television on March 11, 1996, where he slammed Jerry Lawler, who was mocking Henry while interviewing him in the ring. The WWF has linked Henry to a ten-year deal after he competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Leo Burke, a professional wrestler, was the first rival to face Lawler in the WWF. Henry came to the assistance of Jake Roberts, who was suffering indignity at Lawler's hands, at the pay-per-view function in August 1996. On September 22, 1996, he defeated Lawler in his first wrestling match at In Your House: Mind Games. During the ensuing weeks, the feud raged on the live circuit. In a match against Goldust on November 4th, Henry served as a cornerman for Barry Windham. At Survivor Series, he was supposed to team up with Windham, Marc Mero, and Rocky Maivia, but he was forced to withdraw from the competition due to injury. Henry defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush, and Goldust in a tug of war fight on November 17 episode of Superstars. Henry's career was then stagnant, as he took time off to recover injuries and participate in further training over the next year. He returned to the ring in November 1997, making his television return the following month. He was a fixture on WWF shows, from defeating Steve Lombardi on the December 15 episode of Raw to beating The Sultan on the December 27 episode of Shotgun, and beating The Sultan on the December 27 episode of Shotgun.

On January 12, 1998, Henry joined Farooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown. Henry changed loyalties to The Rock after Farooq's position as leader was questioned by The Rock. Brown was also competing in a tag team Battle Royal with Brown as his partner, but they did not win. Henry became involved in his faction's enmity against D-Generation X, which also included a romantic taleline with DX member Chyna, after brief feuds against Ken Shamrock and Vader. When The Nation disbanded, he participated in a short feud with The Rock, defeating him on Judgment Day, Brown's assistance, then building a permanent team with Brown, eventually gaining Ivory as a boss.

Henry gave himself the name "Sexual Chocolate" over the next year, adopting a ladies' man style. He began his storyline with former friend Chyna, but it came with her traying him in a controversial way, including a transvestite. During a match between Brown and Jeff Jarrett for the WWF Intercontinental and WWF European Championships in August 1999 (both held at Brown), Henry turned on Brown and helped Jarrett capture the match and the titles. Henry was given the European title by Jarrett in return for his service the previous night. Henry was defeated by the Unforgiven salary at Brown just over a month later.

He tried to make up with Brown but later in the week, he confessed to being a sex addict, and he had just slept with her two days ago. He was part of a storyline about him battling sex addiction, which he did not achieve thanks to The Godfather.

Henry converted into a fan favorite after this twist, and he was seen on television romancing WWF veteran wrestler Mae Young as part of the "Sexual Chocolate" character. During this period, he fought with Viscera as part of a storyline in which Viscera splashed Mae Young when she was carrying Henry's child. A hand was born a young child.

Henry was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in 2000 to develop his endurance and wrestling skills. In OVW, he joined Nick Dinsmore to compete in a tournament for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship in mid-2001. Henry's mother died later this year, prompting him to put a hold on wrestling. He felt he had to participate in the Arnold Strongman Classic, in honor of his mother, who gave him his first weight set as a child.

Henry began lifting the heaviest of weights and fitness for the first time since 1997 in a major lifting tournament. He's never been a professional strongman before, but in the upcoming competition, he would face the best of the best strongmen in the country, including World Powerlifting Champion Andy Bolton, and Olympic weightlifting Champion Raimonds Bergman, 2001, and reigning America's Best Man of 2001 Brian Schoonvilled.

The competition, which was based on four events, was held in Columbus, Ohio, on February 22, 2002, and was intended to determine the lifter with the highest overall body mass. Henry shocked everyone when he won the first tournament by lifting the Apollon's Axle three times overhead, a world record in the process. Only three men in history had to press it at all. Henry maintained his lead throughout the competition by lifting 885 lb (401 kg) for two repetitions in the second event and easily pushing a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) or more Hummers with nearly flat tires. Henry quickly carried the roughly 850 lb (390 kg) of railroad ties up an incline, winning the entire competition convincingly for the winning prize — a US$75,000 Hummer, a vacation cruise, and $10,000.

Henry had only trained for four months and defeated the crème-de-là-crème of world strongmen, who had been practicing for years, but the wrestling audience was unnoticed. Henry was deemed "The World's Strongest Man" not only by winning the competition but also by achieving it in record time. For the second time since 1996, he was recognized as the "strongest man in the world" by doing so.

Henry returned to the WWE last month and was sent to the SmackDown! While other wrestlers bets on the results, the brand, where he created an in-ring personality of doing "tests of strength," failed, but the gimmick met with no success. He competed against such legends as Chris Jericho and Christian during this period. Henry was sent to OVW for additional training after being used sporadically on WWE (formerly WWF) television during 2002, when he was preparing for a weightlifting tournament and suffering a knee injury.

Henry returned to WWE television as a heel where he found some success as a member of "Thuggin' And Buggin' Enterprises," a group of African Americans led by Theodore Long who worked a race angle in which they felt they were victims of bigotry and were being held hostage by the "white man" in August 2003. During this time, Henry was participating in a brief association with World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg, when the former champion, Triple H, pounded Goldberg for a bounty. He lost to Booker T twice, once in a street brawl and once in a six-man tag team competition, before falling to Booker T at the Armageddon pay-per-view in December 2003. Henry tore his quadriceps muscle during a practice session in OVW in February 2004, and was out for over a year after undergoing surgery. During his recovery, Henry was then used by WWE as a public relations celebrity before returning to OVW in 2005 to finish out fifth.

Henry made his return to television during a WWE Tag Team Championship match on December 30, assisting them in beating Rey Mysterio and Batista for the championship. Henry became involved in a brawl between MNM and the MNM team of Mysterio and Batista a week later, assisting MNM in a steel cage match, helping MNM maintain their titles. Henry then had another match against Batista where Batista sustained a severely injured triceps, requiring him to leave his role. Henry was involved in a Battle Royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship on January 10, 2006 on SmackDown! Kurt Angle, who won the competition, was eventually disqualified.

Henry learned from Daivari, who turned on Angle and revealed that he was Henry's boss. Henry faced Angle at the World Heavyweight Championship in January 2006, losing after Angle struck him with a chair (no one was looking) and pinned him with a roll-up.

Henry interfered in a World Heavyweight Championship match between Angle and The Undertaker, putting the former on the verge of winning the title seconds away. Henry ended with a dive splash on Undertaker, propelling him through the announcer's table. At WrestleMania 22, Henry was then challenged to a casket match by Undertaker. Henry promised to defeat The Undertaker and bring an end to his undefeated streak at WrestleMania, but the Undertaker defeated him. On the SmackDown episode of April 7, Henry had a rematch against The Undertaker. When Daivari introduced his debuting client, The Great Khali, it resulted in a no-contest. Khali went to the ring and assaulted The Undertaker, igniting a new feud and ending Henry's.

Henry defeated Rey Mysterio, the World Heavyweight Champion, in a non-title match in April and May. Henry was crowned King of the Ring Tournament, but he lost to Bobby Lashley in the first round. Kurt Angle was later denied his World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio when he jumped off the top rope and crushed Angle through a table. Henry was then asked by Angle to face Angle on Judgment Day, but Henry left a "message" to Angle after defeating Paul Burchill. Henry was able to beat Angle by counting out on Judgment Day. Angle got his revenge after the match by pounding Henry with a chair and smashing him across a table.

Henry later went on what was described as a "path of violence," inflicting injuries on several celebrities. Henry "took out" Chris Benoit and Paul Burchill on this path of wretchedness, as well as Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero Jr. These events culminated in a feud between the returning Batista, who Henry had left out of action because of a legitimate injury many months before. When Batista returned to The Great American Bash in July, he and Henry were supposed to face one another. However, weeks before the game, Henry was involved in a six-man tag team competition with King Booker and Finlay against Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Bobby Lashley. Henry was injured during the game, and The Great American Bash was cancelled as Henry required surgery. Henry partially tore his patella tendon off the bone and split his patella completely in two, according to doctors later.

After weeks of vignettes hyping his return, Henry returned on SmackDown! After a World Heavyweight Championship steel cage match with Batista, he attacked The Undertaker, allowing Edge to profit from the situation and use his Money in the Bank contract. Henry then started a short feud with Kane, defeating him in a Lumberjack Match at One Night Stand. Henry put on a brave challenge to the SmackDown just short of going back to school. No one ever understood the locker room. He faced several career bers, wrestlers who often fail to make their opponents look better —and then defeated them all in the upcoming weeks. On the SmackDown episode of August 3, he said that no one was willing to accept the open challenge because of what he had done to The Undertaker, including footage of his assault on The Undertaker. During the next week, the Undertaker responded by playing various mind games with Henry. Henry finally met The Undertaker at Unforgiven in September, losing to him after being given a Last Ride. Henry lost a rematch to The Undertaker two weeks after The Undertaker pulled a chokeslam on Henry.

Henry returned to WWE wrestling on the October 23 episode of ECW, threatening Kane and CM Punk, and was briefly managed by Big Daddy V's boss, Matt Striker. At Armageddon, Henry and Big Daddy V defeated Kane and Punk. Henry competed in a 24-man tournament royal to determine the number one contender for the ECW Championship but failed to win before WrestleMania XXIV was broadcast.

Henry was drafted to the ECW brand as part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft. In his first match as an ECW champion, Henry defeated Kane and Big Show in a triple threat match to capture the ECW Championship. This was his first world championship in WWE, making him his fourth African-American world champion in WWE history. After winning the competition, it was made exclusive to the ECW brand once more. Henry's title victory came nearly a decade after he was given the European Championship in 1999, the first title he held in WWE. Hall of Famer Tony Atlas returned to WWE to serve as Henry's boss just a few weeks later. Theodore Long, the ECW's general manager, unveiled a new, entirely platinum ECW Championship belt style just shy of. Henry defended the name against Matt Hardy at SummerSlam in August after being disqualified; however, championships cannot be changed by disqualification, implying that Henry retained the position. In the Championship Scramble match in September, Henry lost the title to Hardy at Unforgiven.

Henry attempted to regain the title at the end of 2008 and lost a match against Hardy at No Mercy, but was dissatisfied. Henry and Atlas became involved in a scripted feud against Finlay and Hornswoggle, which culminated in Henry losing a Belfast Brawl to Finlay at Armageddon. Henry qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 25, and he was involved in a string of matches with other opponents on Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. He was dissatisfied with WrestleMania, but CM Punk retained the match. Henry started a feud with Evan Bourne in May, which began after Bourne defeated Henry by counting out on the May 26 episode of ECW.

Henry was traded to Raw and redebuted for the brand as the third opponent in a three-on-one gauntlet match against WWE Champion Randy Orton, which he won, turning Henry into a face in the competition. Henry formed a tag team with Montel Vontavious Porter in August 2009, but the pair met with the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and The Big Show) for the title at Breaking Point but were dissatisfied. They stopped teaming up after being involved in separate plotlines until the 2011 episode of Raw, in which they defeated the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Big Show and The Miz in a non-title match. They were able to face The Big Show and The Miz in a championship match next week, but they were dissatisfied. Henry and MVP competed for a chance to become the top one contenders to the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules, but The Big Show and The Miz were the second team eliminated in a competitive match between the two teams. The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith) took the game in the end.

In the second season of NXT, Henry mentored Lucky Cannon. On the August 10 episode of NXT, Cannon was eliminated. Henry began working with Evan Bourne in September, starting at the Night of Champions pay-per-view, where they joined a Tag Team Turmoil for the WWE Tag Team Championship. They made it to the final two before being defeated by Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. Bourne sustained an injury and was forced to leave the team early in October, taking them out of action. After a distraction by John Cena, Henry formed a team with Yoshi Tatsu on the November 29 episode of Raw, defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. In a thrilling four-way elimination tag team match, they received a chance to face Vladimir Kozlov and The Usos on a Saturday in a thrilling four-way elimination tag team match. The first team to be disqualified in the match was Henry and Tatsu.

Henry was introduced to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2011 WWE draft on April 25, 2011. Henry turned heel in the night's main event, causing him to lose his teammates John Cena and Christian. Henry competed in a Triple Threat match against Sheamus and Christian on May 27 to determine the top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Sheamus won by Sheamus. Henry was supposed to face an enraged and emotionally fragile Big Show, who advised Henry not to enter the contest; Henry refused the warning and Big Show assaulted him before the match could begin. This act sparked a feud between the two teams; Henry attacked Big Show both backstage and during matches, while SmackDown, Big Show's music, caused Henry to be counted out and costing him a shot at the World Heavyweight Championships, caused him to be counted out. Henry retaliated by destroying the recording equipment and attacking a programmer. Henry won a big show at Money in the Bank in a singles match. Henry crushed Big Show's leg with a chair, (kayfabe) injuring him, an act that was later described as an induction into the "Hall of Pain." On the next episode of SmackDown, Henry did the same to Kane, and Vladimir Kozlov and The Great Khali met the same fate in the months to come.

Henry was told on SmackDown's July 29 episode that he couldn't participate as no one dared to fight him, but Sheamus interrupted, saying he wasn't afraid of Henry before slapping him. Henry beat Sheamus by a count out at SummerSlam after slamming him with a ring barricade. Henry won a 20-man Battle Royal to become the top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton at Night of Champions on August 19, and he continued to criticize Orton on SmackDown and Raw. Henry won the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at Night of Champions. Henry held the title against Orton in a Cell in a Hell in a Cell match.

Big Show returned and chokeslammed Henry through the announce table on October 7, gaining a championship shot against Henry at Vengeance. Henry superplexed the Big Show from the top rope during the match, causing the ring to fall from the impact and the match to be declared a no contest. On the November 4 episode of SmackDown, Henry Bryan became feud with the Money in the Bank briefcase holder Daniel Bryan, arguing that Bryan would not be the champion in a non-title match. During the match, Big Show knocked out Henry, advancing him by disqualification. Bryant was compelled to cash in his show, but Henry recovered and assaulted Bryan and Big Show before the match could begin. Henry kept the World Heavyweight Championship against the Big Show despite a poor show that disqualified Henry. Henry's cowardice enraged him, the Big Show crushed Henry's ankle with a steel chair. Henry was knocked out by Big Show on November 25, which was when Bryan squeaked in his briefcase for a title match and pinned him immediately. However, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long revealed that Henry was not medically fit to participate and voided the match, so Henry continued champion and the briefcase was returned to Bryan. Bryan won a fatal-four-way match against Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage later that night. Henry defeated Bryan in a steel cage match on November 29 to maintain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Then at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Henry was unable to make the World Heavyweight Championship in a chair match in a chair match. Henry died after the match, resulting in Daniel Bryan winning his first World Heavyweight Championship after the match. After Bryan begged the lumberjacks to come in and punish them to cause a no contest, Bryan retained the championship against Henry in a lumberjack match on January 20. Henry defeated Bryan and Big Show in a triple threat steel cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2012 Royal Rumble event; Bryan retained the trophy from the cage. Henry was suspended indefinitely (in storyline) by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long after Henry physically assaulted Long during a one-on-one match that night with Bryan. Henry had hyperextended his knee for the past week, which was surprising. On the February 20 episode of Raw, Henry returned to in-ring action, losing to Sheamus. Henry defeated CM Punk for the WWE Championship, which he gained by count-out and disqualification; as a result, Punk retained his title. Punk defeated Henry in a no-disqualification, no count-out match to maintain the WWE Championship on April 16th. Henry revealed on May 14 that he was going to recover after suffering from a career-threatening injury.

Henry returned to Raw on February 4, 2013, brutally criticizing Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara after a nine-month absence. Henry secured a spot in the World Heavyweight Championships in Elimination Chamber, four days later on SmackDown. Daniel Bryan and Kane were eliminated at the pay-per-view on February 17, before being dismissed by Randy Orton. Henry assaulted the three remaining players before being led out by WWE officials after his dismissal. After several non-verbal disputes, Henry and Ryback began a feud with them. Henry was disqualified by Ryback via disqualification on the March 15 episode of SmackDown, due to the Shield's interference. Henry performed the World's Best Slam to Ryback three times in a row. Henry defeated Ryback in a singles match on April 7 at WrestleMania 29. Henry resurgent a feud with Sheamus by repeatedly attacking Sheamus backstage later this month. Henry and Sheamus then put together in strength tests, but sheamus's inability to beat Henry, he resorted to attacking Henry with Brogue Kicks. Sheamus (during his match) Brogue Kicked Henry (who was on commentary) was yelling Sheamus with a belt. Sheamus was victorious in a strap match at Extreme Rules on May 19 in Sheamus. Henry declared that he was "going home" after losing to Sheamus.

Henry teased his retirement on social media after being unable to watch television due to injuries. Henry returned to Raw on June 17's episode, interrupting WWE Champion John Cena and delivering an emotional retirement address, which was revealed as a ruse after Henry gave Cena the World's Most Valuable Slam after concluding his address. Fans and commentators alike lauded the segment. With Henry announcing his intention to challenge for the "only title he's never won," he was granted a WWE Championship match against Cena at Money in the Bank. Since submitting to the STF on July 14, Henry failed in his title challenge against Cena. Henry cut a promo to congratulate Cena on his victory and called for a rematch for SummerSlam, but The Shield struck the ground for the first time since 2011. Henry continued his face turn the following week by confronting The Shield and uniting with The Usos to ban them off. Henry and the Usos lost in two six-man tag team matches, the first on Raw's July 29 episode and the second on the August 7 episode of Main Event. Henry took part in a Battle Royal to determine the top one contender for the United States Championship on August 12, but Rob Van Dam was the last man to be eliminated by Rob Van Dam. Henry and Van Dam were confronted by The Shield after the match, but the returning Big Show came to their assistance. Van Dam defeated The Shield in a six-man tag team match four days later on SmackDown, Henry, SmackDown, Henry, and Show. Henry was cleared to play after suffering a suspected hamstring injury on August 31 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Henry, on the other hand, took time off and shaved his head bald during his time off.

On November 24, Henry returned to ring action at Survivor Series, answering Ryback's open challenge and defeating him. On the episode of Raw on January 6, 2014, Henry attempted to confront Brock Lesnar for the first time after Lesnar's return, and then Lesnar fractured Henry's arm, causing Henry to weep and be absent. On February 10, he returned to Raw as Dean Ambrose's open challenge for the United States Championship, but he was unable to win the title due to interference by the rest of The Shield. Henry was yet another victim of Lesnar in March, this time resulting in Henry getting an F-5 across the announcing table.

After a few months absence, Henry defeated Damien Sandow on the August 4 episode of Raw. Henry formed a tag team with Big Show to defeat RybAxel this week (Ryback and Curtis Axel). Henry became feud with Rusev on August 18 in Raw's episode, causing him to feud with him. At Night of Champions, Henry and Rusev met, but he lost by submission. He lost to Rusev once more on Raw by submission the next night. On the October 27 episode of Raw, Henry Hamilton blasted Big Show during their tag team match against Gold and Stardust, eventually turning heel. Henry lost to Big Show on the steel steps on the November 3 episode of Rawl by disqualification and slammed Big Show. On the Survivor Series's September 10 Raw, he joined The Authority's crew to face John Cena's crew. Henry was the first to be disqualified from Team Authority 50 seconds into the match after being knocked out by Big Show on November 23. Henry went on hiatus due to an unspecified injury.

Henry was back on SmackDown's episode on March 12, 2015, battling Roman Reigns for lacking a sense of identity and for not being treated, resulting in Reigns attacking Henry. Henry converted Reigns into a believer, and the process involved a turning face. Henry failed in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber, replacing Rusev, who was wounded, but Sheamus At Royal Rumble was unable to win a Fatal 4-Way tag team match on January 24, 2016, losing to Sheamus at a Sheamus At Royal Rumble match. Despite this win, Henry entered the Rumble match at #22 and was stopped in 47 seconds by The Wyatt Family right away. Henry played his third André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, where he made it to the final six opponents before being eliminated by Kane and Darren Young.

Henry was promoted to Raw on July 19, according to the 2016 WWE draft. Henry said he still had a lot in him" when he spoke about reviving the Hall of Pain and his Olympic participation. Henry was sent by Raw General Manager Mick Foley to watch a United States Championship match, but Henry would lose by submission to Rusev. Henry joined R-Truth and Goldust in a feud with Titus O'Neil and The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico), in which Henry's crew emerged victorious. Henry returned to the Royal Rumble in January 29, 2017, but Braun Strowman was able to eliminate him. At WrestleMania 33, he failed to participate in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Henry retired and transitioned into a backstage producer role following WrestleMania 33. In January 2018, he made his return to the Raw 25 Years event as a backstage cameo. Henry would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Big Show, one of his closest friends in WWE, on March 19, 2018. Henry was in the event's Royal Rumble match on April 27, scoring 3 points, but Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler disqualified him, but did not get eliminated by Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. Henry began on a backstage mentoring role to support talent with their off-air attitude, which included cleanliness and respect in the locker room.

Henry appeared on Raw Legends Night's January 4, 2021 episode, where he was riding on a scooter due to an injured leg. In what was Randy Orton's last appearance in WWE, he was verbally confronted.

Henry made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on May 30, 2021, at Double or Nothing, where it was announced that he would be a member of the commentary team for its new show AEW Rampage, as well as a mentor.

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