WWE: Here's to Hoping Mark Henry Heals Up & Returns Soon

WWE needs Mark Henry to return healthy and dominant as soon as possible. A groin injury ended his championship reign prematurely.

Henry’s recent work has been captivating.

For fans who watched Henry during his awful sexual chocolate gimmick or his run as a directionless powerhouse, his late-blooming transformation into a top heel has been a great surprise. 

Few times in any athletic endeavor does someone improve so dramatically at such an advanced stage of their career. 

Since childhood, I've preferred the villains. From Cobra Commander to Mumra, from Boba Fett to Mr. T in Rocky 3, the bad guys are often more interesting than their counterparts. Right now, Mark Henry is the best bad guy in wrestling.

The unstoppable monster thing has certainly been done before, but Henry's girth, scowl and power make the role a perfect fit for him.

His matches have increased in drama and he nearly always tells a compelling story in the ring. 

Though his World's Strongest Slam doesn’t always have the impact it should, for the most part Henry's gotten adept at delivering convincing big-man moves. Unfortunately for him, WWE had him feuding with Big Show for the past few months—a man with a similar set of moves.

Henry is far better off facing someone with a contrasting style to help emphasize his brute force.  Matches this year with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan demonstrate that point. 

His mic skills have improved as well. While he'll never be The Rock or Ric Flair, his angry threats and palpable frustration have been convincing and engaging.

WWE realizes his value so much that in spite of his injury, he's been involved with recent programming.  But we need him back full-time.

Daniel Bryan's reign and career will benefit tremendously from a few David and Goliath matches with the big man. 

The last Raw of 2011 teased a Henry vs. CM Punk match that would have been fantastic. Seeing Punk try to use his speed and kicking skills to defeat Henry would be enthralling.

While Kane is playing out the role of monster heel on Raw, Henry could be performing a similar one on SmackDown and help make it more entertaining. 

Though Cody Rhodes and Christian are top-notch performers, they don't bring the same thing to the table that Henry does. The intimidating behemoth is sorely missed.

Here's hoping that the Hall of Pain soon grows again.