Mark Henry Is Due 1 Final Push Before Inevitable 2016 Retirement

At the age of 44, Mark Henry is quickly closing in on retirement, and it appears he's currently considering hanging up his boots for good come 2016.

Speaking with the Times of India (h/t Wrestling Rumors), Henry revealed he is aiming to retire from the ring next year. He also indicated that while it would mark the end of his career as an active competitor, it might not be the last we see of him behind the scenes.

In the the last month, he's had his veteran status virtually wasted by serving as the "whipping boy" for Rusev on countless occasions. Although he has a WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign to his credit, he's been relegated to the role of an enhancement talent when he should be positioned higher on the card.

While it's highly unlikely that Henry will be given the same sendoff as legends such as Edge or Shawn Michaels enjoyed, he deserves some sort of final storyline before he rides off into the sunset.

Credit: WWE.com

Having not been a prominent player in some time, Henry's TV time as of late has been largely curtailed. His last notable feud came in 2013 when he challenged for the WWE Championship against John Cena at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

In fact, his fake-retirement speech on the June 17, 2013 edition of Raw was regarded as one of the best promos all year.

Despite that, he was back to "WWE Superstars" purgatory once his rivalry with Cena concluded.

Although Henry is sparingly seen on WWE TV, he is still more than capable of delivering a half-decent match. With the right rival, he could have a memorable exit from the company while simultaneously putting over an up-and-coming star.

After a near-two-decade stint in WWE, Henry is due for a memorable exit from the company in the form of a meaningful push.

The World's Strongest Man has proven in the past that he can hang with WWE's most elite performers inside the squared circle, including at the main event level. He thrived during his runs at the top in 2011 and 2013, and there's no reason to believe he wouldn't put forth another strong effort if he was to be regularly featured again.

With no timetable set for his retirement, it's safe to assume he could be done wrestling by WrestleMania 32 seeing as how the event will be emanating from his home state of Texas. Needless to say, it'd be the perfect place for him to call it a career.

It's been years since he's had a match of any significance on the grand stage, but his "WrestleMania moment" that every wrestler strives for at some point in their career is long overdue. 

As Henry inches closer to the finale of his days as a member of the active roster, it's high time WWE gives the wrestler formerly known as "Sexual Chocolate" the proper sendoff he has earned.

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.

Follow @WrestleRant