When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson muttered the famous catchphrase “Lay the Smackdown”, it would set the foundation for what has turned out to be the second longest running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history. SmackDown became one of WWE’s flagship programs and is so engrained in pop culture that Merriam-Webster added the word to their dictionary.
Celebrating 15 years and their 790th episode tonight, WWE SmackDown has had no shortage of stars and success. When we had the chance to talk to someone who has seen it all, The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Henry was there in the beginning and has seen his stardom rise during SmackDown’s 15 year journey.
CraveOnline: It’s been 15 years since SmackDown debuted. Can you believe it? What are your most memorable moments from WWE Smackdown?
Mark Henry: For the last 18 years, man, I’ve been very proud to say that I’ve had so many that its hard to pick out one. I can only pick out eras. To come in and be an Olympian; a guy that was considered to be one of the strongest men in the world and working with names like Jerry Lawler, Jake “The Snake” Roberts to go to being in the Nation of Domination, then becoming Sexual Chocolate, and legitimately becoming the world’s strongest man after being retired for almost a decade, to have a championship run where I faced the likes of The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, Rey Mysterio as a champion, Kurt Angle as a champion, and everybody I worked with were champions except me. To be able to finally have that time against a future hall of famer, Randy Orton, and The Big Show, to bring Daniel Bryan in, and to usher on another high level of competitiveness…it would be hard for me to single out one moment.
CraveOnline: Forgive me for this, but I have to ask you about your Sexual Chocolate persona. What was going through your mind during the whole Mae Young pregnancy angle in 2000?
Mark Henry: I had so much fun. At that time, like nothing bothers me except for not being used. During that time, there were two or three guys I was riding in a car with; one of which was Kane, who wasn’t being used on television, D-Lo Brown wasn’t being used, Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty [sic] was not being used and here I am with a 76 year old woman and I’m on TV every night. So I can’t complain. It was something that was so much fun that it didn’t feel like work.
Mark Henry: We’re more global. We’re an international multimedia company as well as sports entertainment. There are so many things that have changed. The athletes are better now than they ever were. You have guys who are anomalies like a Shawn Michaels or a Stone Cold Steve Austin and guys like Billy Gunn, guys who were unbelievable athletes like Ken Shamrock and The Rock. Those guys are not that far removed. You go back 10 years in wrestling and it seems like an unbelievable amount of time but it’s not really that far off.
CraveOnline: It’s pretty incredible when you consider the guys who were big during the Attitude Era and even before you came. You see guys like Daniel Bryan now, who probably wouldn’t have got that nod 15 years ago.
Mark Henry: You know what? I don’t think that is necessarily true. Daniel Bryan is a good athlete but he’s a better entertainer. He’s a guy that if you went somewhere with, you would want him with you because he will punch you in the mouth. Daniel will whoop everybody. He’s a tough guy. I’ll tell you what, better yet, ask the guy that robbed his house that he [Bryan] ran down in the street and choked unconscious, ask him how he would feel about Daniel Bryan. Daniel is a grown man!
CraveOnline: I assume I already know the answer to this, but what is your most memorable match, Mark?
Mark Henry: I think it would have to be the title; my title run. I enjoyed being with Mae Young but I guess the most legitified [sic] moment for me would be me being World Heavyweight Champion.
CraveOnline: When you pinned Randy Orton and you were holding the belt, what were your emotions at that moment. You had been in the business for 15 years at that point, right?
Mark Henry: Yeah, it’d been a little over 15 years at that point. I had vied for a championship; I had been involved in being a No. 1 contender, and having runs where I got close but I never got there. Being able to finally get there and be the guy to carry the load and carry it for a while, I felt like I arrived and it validated my career. Even now, I’m still that guy. Some people’s runs end and they’re never seen or heard from again and I’ve only gotten stronger.
CraveOnline: You’ve had quite the powerlifting career too culminated by winning gold medals and multiple championships. What goes into the preparation for those contests and how does it differ from wrestling?
Mark Henry: Well, for one, it’s an anaerobic sport so you have to condition your lungs and break the muscles down by doing a lot of cardiovascular activity. You can hold all your weight and size easier. But its days and days and months and months of real deep heavy muscle training and being able to support weight that you can’t even lift to be able to condition your body to absorb that kind of energy and hold it without it making you crumble. I enjoyed that time and it was challenging and I loved it and I still respect it but being in the sports entertainment industry, I want to see some of those guys that I know could actually do this industry, come from that world and I’m looking forward to helping in that process.
CraveOnline: How much are you deadlifting now?
Mark Henry: A fork, and a knife, and a spoon. Wrestling has hurt me enough [laughs].
CraveOnline: With you being a Texan, I assume football has got to be in your blood. I understand you’re a Longhorns fan. What are your thoughts on head coach Charlie Strong and do you see a national championship in the near future?
Mark Henry: I think they will be in the championship conversation in the next two years. I think that next year, they will be a winning team and people will be like “Wow, I can’t believe that they came from where they come from to be where they are” and the year after will be the year people say, “They’re too dominant of a team not to win it.”
CraveOnline: What’s the best rib you’ve seen from the guys in the back?
Mark Henry: Nobody will ever top Owen Hart. Owen was like a brother to me. I loved him so much because he made me laugh harder than anyone’s made me laugh in my life. Owen duct taped Vince McMahon’s briefcase to a ceiling fan in St. Louis. It was one of the most hilarious things I ever saw. You could hear Vince screaming and you knew nobody did that other than Owen. But Owen denied it and denied it and I think at the end even Vince laughed.
CraveOnline: Mark, with the time you have left in your WWE career, what else would you like to accomplish before hanging it up?
Mark Henry: There are a couple of titles that I’d like to hold. I’d like to be a tag titleholder, I’d like to be the WWE champion but more than anything, I want to make guys leaders. I want to be able to leave the business in a better situation than I came into it and I think that’s already evident. I’m not saying that I’m like the president or anything but I’m the elder statesman and I want the business to evolve and I want the talent to evolve with it. That just takes discipline and consistency and I hope these young guys are up for the challenge.
WWE will air a special 15th anniversary of episode of SmackDown Friday at 8pm ET on Syfy.
“Did you know facts” about SmackDown
- The name SmackDown came from WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s popular catchphrase, “Lay the Smackdown.”
- SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities and towns, in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico.
- It would take more than two months of uninterrupted viewing to watch every episode of SmackDown back-to-back.
- WWE Superstar John Cena® made his WWE debut in June 2002 on SmackDown.
- WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar® competed in a 60-minute Iron Man match on SmackDown in September 2003.
- Brock Lesnar and Big Show® fought to a no contest when the ring collapsed after Lesnar superplexed Big Show on SmackDown in June 2003.
- Stephanie McMahon was the first SmackDown general manager while Teddy Long has the longest total tenure as a SmackDown general manager.
- Mr. McMahon won his only WWE Championship on SmackDown on September 16, 1999 when he defeated Triple H® with Shane McMahon as special guest referee.
- The first Friday episode of SmackDown was on September 9, 2005 and featured Batista® defeating JBL® in a Bull Rope Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Photos courtesy of WWE
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an unhealthy sports fanatic, and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like”CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
