WWE Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic weightlifter Mark Henry will headline the Fresno Grizzlies’ Wrestling Night on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (GV Wire Composite)

- WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic weightlifter Mark Henry will appear at the Fresno Grizzlies’ Wrestling Night on Saturday.
- Henry, who calls Fresno a “homecoming,” will throw out the first pitch and meet fans during the game.
- The two-time Olympian reflected on his faith, wrestling career, and memorable Fresno moments ahead of his visit.
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The “World’s Strongest Man” is coming to Fresno.
Mark Henry will appear at the Fresno Grizzlies’ “Wrestling Night” on Saturday. He will throw out the first pitch and then greet fans during the game.
“I’m excited about going there. Anytime that people love pro wrestling, that’s where my heart is. The people that love what I love,” Henry said. “I’ve been coming to Fresno for 30 years. So to come back is kind of like a homecoming to the people that love wrestling.”
Keeping the Faith
Henry credits several mentors for helping him become an Olympic weightlifter and WWE Hall of Famer. But, one rises above all.
“I’m God-filled and you know my faith has brought me a long way and knowing that God is the ultimate protector for me,” Henry said, opening up about his faith.
Even being on the road for his profession, it was never hard to find time to pray.
“Church is where two or more are gathered in his name,” Henry said, quoting Matthew 18:20.
He did occasionally attend a physical church, but often prayed with his fellow wrestlers.
“Wherever there were people that wanted to pray, wherever there were people that want to praise God’s name, I was available for and I’ve never turned down nobody,” Henry said.
Enduring hazing early in his career, Henry said he “don’t take no mess and when I feel mess I address it immediately.”
“Jesus is the only person I’ve ever known to turn the first cheek. I don’t turn the first cheek,” Henry said.
Henry said it is not hard to do the right thing.
“A lot of people sacrifice integrity for clicks or views. I don’t,” Henry said.

From Olympics to Wrestling
Henry credited several others for his career success in weightlifting — Jan and Terry Todd, Angel Spassov, Dragomir Ciorslan; and wrestling — Tom Prichard, Dory Funk Jr., Jim Cornette, Leo Burke, Rip Rogers, Danny Davis, and Pat Patterson.
“I had the Who’s Who of, of coaches and trainers,” Henry said.
A big kid from Silsbee, Texas, Henry naturally gravitated to weightlifting, encouraged by the Todds. His talent earned him two trips to the Olympics.
At the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Henry finished 10th. Four years later in Atlanta, Henry slipped to an injury-caused 14th.
Like fellow Olympian-turned-wrestler Kurt Angle, Henry was so focused, he did not absorb the experience.
“I don’t remember a lot, because I was too focused. I remember being places. I remember seeing my family. Maybe 70% of the happenings, I don’t remember,” Henry said.
His charisma and raw talent attracted attention from the WWF, and he made the transition to become a professional wrestler.
With his feats of strength and perseverance, Henry earned respect in the locker room, and is considered one of the wrestlers never to mess with.
On a 2022 episode of the “Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw” podcast, D’Lo Brown recounted having their car pinned in a parking lot when they needed to leave.
Henry created space by physically lifting the cars to clear space.
“‘World’s Strongest Man’ is not a gimmick,” host John “Bradshaw” Layfield said.
Career Highs and Lows
Henry won the World Heavyweight championship in 2011, holding it for a three-month period. He showed dominance in his run to the title, manhandling some of the biggest and baddest WWE wrestlers.
For every high Henry achieved, he has been beset by injuries or what can best be described as silly booking. Early in his career, Henry portrayed a womanizer as “Sexual Chocolate,” concluding with an on-screen relationship with the ancient but beloved Mae Young.
Henry said he was never phased by the ups and downs of his career.
“I’m a great entertainer. I do what’s good for the company, do what’s good for business. I never wrapped my career around winning and losing. I wrapped my career round being successful,” Henry said.
Throughout his career, Henry was both a good guy and bad guy. He says the former is tougher.
“It’s harder to make people love you in anything. To be the bad guy is easy,” Henry said.
He encourages kids he mentors that being the good guy takes “a lot of work.”
“I was able to do it all because I enjoyed the process, but everybody don’t and a lot of people they lean into the negativity, they lean into the things that are not positive and they want to get people a sound bite from somebody about something negative. I’ll never fall into those traps because I’m better than that,” Henry said.
After the 1996 Olympics, Henry joined the WWF (as it was known until 2002) on a 10-year contract. Shortly after his debut, he broke his leg. During his career, he suffered several injuries that put him out of action for extended periods of time.
“You listen to your doctors, you go by the protocols and you don’t take days off,” Henry said about bouncing back. “You work hard to make sure that you’re available, because the best ability is availability.”
The best part of his career, he said, was helping recruit new wrestlers, and seeing the world.
“To be able to go to my grave and hopefully one day tell my grandkids everything that I’ve seen in my life. Those are the things that I kind of hang my head on,” Henry said.
Mark Henry vs. The Save Mart Center Ramp
Henry had 10 matches in Fresno, according to the Cagematch.net database.
While opponents may have had problems with Henry, the ramp leading down to the backstage entrance at the Save Mart Center got to him.
“I lost control of my luggage and my luggage tumbled down the hill, down the ramp. The fans, they stand around the fence in the back to watch the wrestlers walk in and talk to them. They cheered my bag rolling and tumbling down to the ground. And when it stopped, it was like a big giant eruption. It was awesome,” Henry said.

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