Mark Henry Is Being Wasted in Current Role Within the WWE

With a majority of WWE's current roster consisting of Superstars whose televised debuts have come in the last five years, there are few holdouts left from the Attitude Era. Among them is Mark Henry, who is still very much part of the active roster even after 19 years with the company.

The first 15 years of his WWE tenure were spent floundering in the undercard, and when he was pushed toward the top, he always fell short of winning "the big one."

That changed in 2011, when he was given the ball and ran with it, opening the Hall of Pain and embarking on the greatest run of his career.

As one of the best built monsters in years, he dominated the SmackDown scene as world heavyweight champion for the better part of 2011. However, his time as a main eventer was cut short due to an injury suffered that December, and he was never again looked at as a legitimate threat to the main event picture from that point forward.

Henry contended for the prestigious prize on occasion in the years that followed, but his television time had been largely curtailed. Aside from a short-lived program with John Cena in 2013, he has meandered in the midcard as of late, constantly flipping back and forth between being a babyface and heel.

His quick and decisive loss to Rusev on the August 3 edition of Raw essentially solidified him as an enhancement talent, an ill-fitting role for The World's Strongest Man.

Credit: WWE.com

It's no secret that Henry is extremely injury-prone, having been sidelined with no fewer than half a dozen injuries in the last 10 years. WWE may see this as a sign that he can't be pushed at any level with the continual risk of him getting hurt.

With that said, he doesn't deserve to be at "jobber" status at this stage in his career, especially given his long list of credentials as a competitor.

At the very least, a win over the former world champion should feel meaningful, but it's instead treated like an afterthought.

The current crop of enhancement talent in WWE includes the likes of Heath Slater, Fandango, Zack Ryder and Bo Dallas. None of the aforementioned names have come close to accomplishing what Henry has, which is why he should be far above them in the pecking order.

Although his wrestling skills have never been stellar, he's still capable of contesting a passable match, regardless of who his opponent is. His matches against Superstars such as Sheamus, Ryback and Roman Reigns thus far in 2015 are prime examples that he can hold his own inside in the squared circle even now.

As for his talking ability, look no further than his critically acclaimed promo on the June 17, 2013 edition of Raw during which he feigned retirement. It was among the greatest moments that year had to offer and showed he could still perform at a high level.

So, why waste him? Any up-and-coming star can benefit simply from being in the ring with him considering the immense amount of knowledge and experience he has after nearly two decades in the business.

At the age of 44, it's clear Henry doesn't have many in-ring years left in him. Wrestle Zone's Mike Killam reported back in the summer of 2013 that he had signed on for another three years, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has to be an active member of the roster until 2016.

Thus, a backstage role as an agent would suit him perfectly.

It'd be an improvement over him being thrown out on TV to lose an inconsequential match or winning a random tag team match that doesn't do anything to boost his credibility or that of his partners or opponents.

With WrestleMania 32 emanating from his native Texas next spring, there'd be no better venue at which to hang up his boots for good. He has been open in saying he's been contemplating (legitimate) retirement for some time now, and it'd be a nice sendoff for the seasoned veteran after so many years of service.

Regardless of what his future holds, it's high time WWE opened its eyes and started appreciating Henry for the unique talent he is.

While he should by no means be chasing the world title so late in his run, WWE must find a stabler spot for him on the card that doesn't see him being utilized as a glorified "job guy" each week.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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