Mark Henry confirmed for 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class

Making things official, WWE confirmed today that Mark Henry will be inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame over WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans.

WWE made the announcement via USA Today. Henry was one of the names that had been mentioned as a possibility for the 2018 Hall of Fame class, and he was listed as one of this year’s inductees in WWE’s WrestleMania magazine.

“It was a little while back. I was in Los Angeles with the powers that be,” Henry told USA Today about getting the news. “it was just an overwhelming feeling, you know? My face got hot. A couple of tears fell, and you felt like, instantly, all of the pain and torment that you put your body through, the sacrifices that you made — they were worth it. It paid it all off.”

Henry signed a 10-year contract with WWE after competing in his second Olympics as a weightlifter in 1996. His first televised match was against Jerry Lawler at In Your House: Mind Games, and he went on to become a member of the Nation of Domination stable, have a stint in OVW in the early 2000s, and wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania 22 in 2006.

The most successful run of Henry’s career was with his “Hall of Pain” gimmick on SmackDown in 2011. He won the World Heavyweight title in September of that year before dropping it three months later. In 2013, he worked a program with John Cena that started with his fake retirement promo and ended with a WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank.

Henry hasn’t wrestled since taking part in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania last year. He currently works as a talent scout for WWE.

Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, and Henry have been announced for the 2018 Hall of Fame class, along with celebrity inductee Kid Rock and Warrior Award recipient Jarrius “JJ” Robertson. The induction ceremony will take place at the Smoothie King Center on April 6th.