Mark Henry is a fifteen-year veteran, who until Night of Champions had only two title reigns in his career, neither one a world championship. He was pegged as a big, slow, underachieving wrestler with little personality, riding out the lengthy contract WWE signed him to after his 1992 Olympic performance. Alberto Del Rio is the opposite- a young, agile, mat-savvy wrestler who came into the company with personality to spare. He quickly earned the hatred of fans with his “Mexican aristocrat” persona, all the while boasting of his destiny to win the WWE title, which he did last month.
So why is Henry now in a much better position than Del Rio?
Best as a Monster
Considering the oft-mentioned lack of new talent in the WWE, it doesn’t make much sense that a long-time wrestler with as little gold as Henry should be World Champion, while Del Rio lost his WWE title after a month’s reign. But it isn’t a matter of new vs. old; it’s a matter of being believable to the fans. The fact that Henry hasn’t held a World Title for fifteen years has actually become his biggest advantage. Prior to his championship match, Henry spoke about how frustrated he was about not achieving a World Title in his time with the WWE. He said it was that anger that made him turn heel in April of this year. It was that anger that made him go on destructive rampages, destroying Smackdown sets and brutalizing wrestlers like Kane, Sheamus, and the Big Show. It was the same “angry monster” story that WWE has used countless times in the past. But unlike the performances given by Kane and Big Show (who have each worn out the storyline) Henry’s feels real because it is real.
Henry is a former Olympian, with several medals in weightlifting from Pan American and Arnold Strongman. It’s the main reason he was given a WWE contract. But Henry spent years floating about the midcard, working gimmicks like “Sexual Chocolate” and literally being handed a European championship. He made no real impact until he was drafted to ECW and under the gimmick of the dominating heel, won the ECW Title. And in truth, Henry is at his best as a dominating heel. He is able to use his tremendous strength to his full advantage, which helps hide his lack of technical skills. And after spending his long career with so little achievements, Henry has plenty of pent up anger to add real fuel to his character and to his matches. In many ways, we’re seeing a new Mark Henry , one that truly seems a threat to everyone around him and a challenge to overcome.
Another Flash in the Pan
Alberto Del Rio, on the other hand, had the tools to be a champion from day one, but hasn’t been presented in a way to let that happen. His debut in 2010 was hampered by accusations that he was simply portraying a “Mexican JBL” given his money, personal ring announcer, and driving to the ring in fancy cars. Granted, Del Rio did become a good heel, and was responsible for many storyline injuries. His constant talk of winning the World Championship as “destiny” also helped solidify his character. The fact he could put on excellent matches didn’t hurt either.
The problem however, was that Del Rio just spent too much time talking. He had various rivalries with Rey Mysterio, but never got any title opportunities. He constantly cheated to earn victories, and after winning the Royal Rumble, failed to win the World Championship at Wrestlemania. After more then half a year of talking, Del Rio couldn’t back it up, but kept talking about “destiny.” Then, after he was traded to RAW, he finally won Money in the Bank, and cashed it in to become the first Mexican WWE Champion. He then spent the rest of the month talking about how great a champion he was, while running from #1 contender John Cena, before ultimately losing the title at Night of Champions.
A Bad Story
Del Rio is the victim of various poor storyline choices. The fact he spent so long talking about “destiny” and not going after the title hurt his credibility with the fans, as did the fact he cashed in Money in the Bank on an exhausted CM Punk at the end of Summerslam. Worse, winning the title without any other accomplishments prior made Del Rio just look lucky, and ala’ Sheamus’s early WWE Title reign, lessens the impact of any other title he may win over the course of his career. But perhaps the biggest blow to Del Rio is how much of a coward he became after wining the title. WWE has long been accused of overplaying the cowardly heel character, making it harder for those wrestlers to be taken seriously by the fans. Del Rio was already on shaky ground after his failed World Title match- a short, cowardly WWE Title reign just hurts him further.
It’s even more surprising given the similarities between Del Rio and former Champion The Miz. Both won the title using Money in the Bank opportunistically, and spent their reigns cheating to win. And even though Miz was given a much longer reign then Del Rio, he is still seen by fans as a midcarder who got lucky and was placed in a spot he didn’t deserve to be in. And just like the Miz, who has moved back into the midcard, Del Rio is now on a slippery slope that may find him back where he started.
Looking to the Future
If WWE is going to start making the stars of tomorrow, they need to remember that they can’t do it overnight. Putting new wrestlers into the title hunt right away doesn’t give the fans a chance to truly believe those wrestlers deserve it. They need to take their time and present the wrestlers as real threats and serious champions, not flash in the pan cowards. Mark Henry may have taken fifteen years, but he is now in the perfect frame of mind to be a dominating World Champion. Alberto Del Rio took a year to win the WWE Title, but because of his arrogant, and cowardly approach, he was just a paper champion. And the WWE can't build its future on those.
Eric Nierstedt - Mr. Nierstedt studied English at Kean University. He's written at the Leader newspaper of Westfield NJ for five years.
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