Mark Henry was a national powerlifting champion in high school in Texas. He soon became accomplished in the Olympic style of weightlifting and competed in the Olympics in 1992 and 1996. In weightlifting and powerlifting, he has won numerous medals, national and world titles and still holds several records in both sports. Henry was then signed by the WWE® and made his wrestling debut in 1996. He competed for the next 21 years and held various titles, including becoming WWE® World Heavyweight Champion in 2011. He was inducted into the WWE® Hall of Fame in 2018. He currently works behind the scenes for WWE®. Named for Gotch, who was inducted as a member of the TNT Hall of Fame’s Charter Class in 1999, the award recognizes wrestlers who, through their athleticism and toughness in the ring, brought a higher level of respect to professional wrestling from both inside and outside the business.