Mark Henry and 7 Other WWE Wrestlers Who Finally Caught a Break

After spending 15 long years in the WWE, Mark Henry finally had his moment at the 2011 Night of Champions pay-per-view.

Henry defeated Randy Orton to capture the World Heavyweight Championship, his first major title in the company. The man once known as Sexual Chocolate, evolved into the dominant heel champion we know today.

However, the World's Strongest Man wasn't the only guy who got a bone thrown his way. Along with Mark Henry, here are a group of wrestlers who finally caught breaks in the WWE.

Christian

Out of all the men on this list, no one had it coming longer than Christian.

After spending 10 of his 14 years as a wrestler in the WWE, Christian finally got a bone thrown to him after capturing the 2011 World Heavyweight title.

With a little help from his buddy Edge, Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match at Extreme Rules to bring in his first major WWE strap. Although his title reign would last just two days, it still couldn't take away the mark-out moment that was Christian raising the gold.

Kane

Prior to this World Heavyweight Championship victory, Kane did win the WWF Championship in 1998. However, his first title reign ended just a day after it started. Kane dropped the strap to Stone Cold Steve Austin right after defeating Austin for the belt just 24 hours prior. 

So when Kane cashed in at the 2010 Money in the Bank pay-per-view, it finally put some legitimate gold around his waist. It wasn't Kane's first major title run in the WWE, but it sure seemed like it. 

Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio started what is now a very celebrated career in 1992. Mysterio spent four years in AAA, two in ECW and six in WCW before jumping ship to the WWE in 2002.

He caught some tag team and cruiserweight gold in his first few years in the company, but finally got his chance at a major title run in 2006. Mysterio faced off against Randy Orton and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 22 with the prize being the World Heavyweight Championship.

Surely enough, Mysterio came out on top and delivered nothing short of a big time moment on wrestling's biggest stage.

Edge

At New Year's Revolution in 2006, John Cena successfully defended his WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber. Cena conquered the likes of Shawn Michaels, Kane and Kurt Angle to win yet again. Ho hum...

But what would follow another Super Cena moment, became a surprising classic.

Vince came out, announced another WWE title match, and introduced Edge as the challenger. Equipped with his Money in the Bank briefcase, Edge cashed in and feasted on a weak Cena. After a huge spear, Edge covered Cena and got the three-count for his first WWE Championship. 

Could you have really gotten more of a mark-out moment than this?

Eddie Guerrero

Before hitting the WWF/WWE scene in 2000, Eddie Guerrero built up an extremely credible career in other reputable promotions.

Guerrero spent three years at AAA in Mexico, four years at New Japan Pro Wrestling, a year in ECW and six years with WCW. (He also spent his early years in EMLL, CMLL and WWA in Mexico.)

However, it took Latino Heat a while to bring in a major strap—more specifically, 17 years after his career began in 1987. 

But in 2004 at No Way Out, Guerrero finally captured the WWE Championship after defeating Brock Lesnar.

JBL

After spending a handful of years with the Global Wrestling Federation and around the independent circuit, the WWF signed John Layfield in 1996. Bradshaw spent his early years with the company as a singles wrestler and a member of the New Blackjacks with his cousin Barry Windham. He eventually joined Ron Simmons to form the most kick-ass tag team in wrestling, the APA.

When 2004 rolled along, so did JBL's first major push. Bradshaw defeated then-champion Eddie Guerrero in a Texas Bull Rope to win his first WWE Championship.

Chris Benoit

Excuse me for mentioning the unmentionable one, but Chris Benoit deserves a little recognition.

Benoit was truly one of the hardest working men in the business. He would give you his absolute best every night and would never work a disappointing match. Benoit always served the fans and would unfortunately obtain a laundry list of devastating injuries.

So when Benoit finally won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004, all of the grueling work made it much more meaningful.

Before joining the company in 2000, Chris spent 15 years in four different promotions. Those included Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, ECW and WCW. 

After nearly 20 long years of working in the industry, Benoit captured his first major WWE title at WrestleMania XX.