msc
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,560
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Post by msc on Jul 7, 2023 12:22:32 GMT -5
tbh there was a point in 2008 when suddenly he just clicked everything together. During his ECW title run. In 2009, he had that moment in RAW when he teased doing a countout for Randy Orton only to shake his little finger and then kill Orton, and the crowd went nuts. By 2011's Hall of Pain, he'd got momentum, confidence and a run together, and had a run so above the likes of 1999-2000 Mark Henry it might as well have been different wrestlers.
If only they'd kept him in training longer in the 90s we might have got this sooner.
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Post by Cvslfc123 on Jul 7, 2023 14:49:37 GMT -5
He was one of the best things on TV that year. I bought his Hall of Pain shirt. At the start of 2011 I'd never have thought I'd buy a Mark Henry shirt.
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Post by peaches1 on Jul 7, 2023 16:13:52 GMT -5
"If I charge for air, you keep your bill paid!"
Loved Hall of Pain Mark Henry. It worked because the meta-text lined up with the text: people had been waiting for 15 years for Henry to show what he had in him, and he finally delivered.
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Post by David-Arquette was in WCW 2000 on Jul 8, 2023 6:05:13 GMT -5
tbh there was a point in 2008 when suddenly he just clicked everything together. During his ECW title run. In 2009, he had that moment in RAW when he teased doing a countout for Randy Orton only to shake his little finger and then kill Orton, and the crowd went nuts. By 2011's Hall of Pain, he'd got momentum, confidence and a run together, and had a run so above the likes of 1999-2000 Mark Henry it might as well have been different wrestlers. If only they'd kept him in training longer in the 90s we might have got this sooner. Yes, comparing to 99-00 Mark Henry.. just ridiculous. I think Mark always showed flashes of his potential, during his run with NOD, around 03-05, but never pieced everything together until much later in his career. The Sexual Chocolate gimmick, and Mae Young angle should have killed him off entirely, yet he was able to comeback from it some how.
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Post by yokohamacpfc on Jul 8, 2023 10:13:56 GMT -5
Yeah, his wrestling was not that different from prior years when he got very little reaction. There were some minor differences. His promos were more threatening and his facial expressions and playing off the crowd were better plus there's always the luck factor of performing your best stuff in front of the right crowd at the right time who will give you the best reaction. When did he switch to the wig-splitting theme? That must have been a factor in getting the fans to wake up, none of his previous themes were memorable.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Jul 8, 2023 10:27:31 GMT -5
Yeah, his wrestling was not that different from prior years when he got very little reaction. There were some minor differences. His promos were more threatening and his facial expressions and playing off the crowd were better plus there's always the luck factor of performing your best stuff in front of the right crowd at the right time who will give you the best reaction. When did he switch to the wig-splitting theme? That must have been a factor in getting the fans to wake up, none of his previous themes were memorable. He'd had it since 2006, I believe, so there's still a bit there where he's got that killer theme but he's not quite all the way made yet. Like, I believe in my opinion it was the ECW run where it all started to click.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 28,272
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Post by chazraps on Jul 8, 2023 15:15:30 GMT -5
A big part of this that hasn't gotten mentioned in this thread (unless i missed it, if so apologies) is that Mark Henry's presentation drastically changed in the summer of 2011 as Kevin Dunn was taking a few months off and Dave Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) was filling-in directing Raw/Smackdown as sort of a "thank you"/"we're sorry" for the life-changing leg injury he had in 2008. It was always his dream to direct, so from around mid-April through November that's why so much was slightly tweaked for the better with the camera angles, the way wrestlers spoke, etc.
Even when Kapoor was having to do the quick cut Kevin Dunn "Style," he found a way to make it infinitely better like with the Rey-Miz Raw title match.
But I digress, it was Kapoor who framed how Mark walked to the ring, how he didn't use a mic to yell at his opponents and just had the camera voyeuristically pick it up, it added a realness to it that accentuated Henry's intimidation factor.
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pinja
Unicron
Posts: 3,132
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Post by pinja on Jul 8, 2023 15:52:57 GMT -5
A big part of this that hasn't gotten mentioned in this thread (unless i missed it, if so apologies) is that Mark Henry's presentation drastically changed in the summer of 2011 as Kevin Dunn was taking a few months off and Dave Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) was filling-in directing Raw/Smackdown as sort of a "thank you"/"we're sorry" for the life-changing leg injury he had in 2008. It was always his dream to direct, so from around mid-April through November that's why so much was slightly tweaked for the better with the camera angles, the way wrestlers spoke, etc. Even when Kapoor was having to do the quick cut Kevin Dunn "Style," he found a way to make it infinitely better like with the Rey-Miz Raw title match. But I digress, it was Kapoor who framed how Mark walked to the ring, how he didn't use a mic to yell at his opponents and just had the camera voyeuristically pick it up, it added a realness to it that accentuated Henry's intimidation factor. The opening shot of his entrance, when his back emerged and spanned the whole width of the image - that was amazing.
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Post by A Platypus Rave is Correct on Jul 8, 2023 16:57:41 GMT -5
A big part of this that hasn't gotten mentioned in this thread (unless i missed it, if so apologies) is that Mark Henry's presentation drastically changed in the summer of 2011 as Kevin Dunn was taking a few months off and Dave Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) was filling-in directing Raw/Smackdown as sort of a "thank you"/"we're sorry" for the life-changing leg injury he had in 2008. It was always his dream to direct, so from around mid-April through November that's why so much was slightly tweaked for the better with the camera angles, the way wrestlers spoke, etc. Even when Kapoor was having to do the quick cut Kevin Dunn "Style," he found a way to make it infinitely better like with the Rey-Miz Raw title match. But I digress, it was Kapoor who framed how Mark walked to the ring, how he didn't use a mic to yell at his opponents and just had the camera voyeuristically pick it up, it added a realness to it that accentuated Henry's intimidation factor. The opening shot of his entrance, when his back emerged and spanned the whole width of the image - that was amazing. I didn't like it nearly as much as others... but the bst use of this was when they put over how huge the elimination chamber was... and then Henry came out and completely eclipsed it.
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Post by discoelysium on Jul 8, 2023 17:34:05 GMT -5
Mark Henry's late run is a really good example of why presentation and smart agenting matters so much in getting someone over. He was doing a huge amount differently, but the entrance with the camera hovering over his back to indicate size, the way the commentators sold him, that he was booked in a way that leant into his own PERSONAL charisma rather than a generic template, and matches constructed around his strengths. Was amazing and such a shame it fizzled out the way it did in the Big Show feud
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Post by discoelysium on Jul 8, 2023 17:35:45 GMT -5
A big part of this that hasn't gotten mentioned in this thread (unless i missed it, if so apologies) is that Mark Henry's presentation drastically changed in the summer of 2011 as Kevin Dunn was taking a few months off and Dave Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) was filling-in directing Raw/Smackdown as sort of a "thank you"/"we're sorry" for the life-changing leg injury he had in 2008. It was always his dream to direct, so from around mid-April through November that's why so much was slightly tweaked for the better with the camera angles, the way wrestlers spoke, etc. Even when Kapoor was having to do the quick cut Kevin Dunn "Style," he found a way to make it infinitely better like with the Rey-Miz Raw title match. But I digress, it was Kapoor who framed how Mark walked to the ring, how he didn't use a mic to yell at his opponents and just had the camera voyeuristically pick it up, it added a realness to it that accentuated Henry's intimidation factor. Posted before I read this, but yeah exactly this.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 28,272
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Post by chazraps on Jul 8, 2023 18:41:40 GMT -5
A big part of this that hasn't gotten mentioned in this thread (unless i missed it, if so apologies) is that Mark Henry's presentation drastically changed in the summer of 2011 as Kevin Dunn was taking a few months off and Dave Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) was filling-in directing Raw/Smackdown as sort of a "thank you"/"we're sorry" for the life-changing leg injury he had in 2008. It was always his dream to direct, so from around mid-April through November that's why so much was slightly tweaked for the better with the camera angles, the way wrestlers spoke, etc. Even when Kapoor was having to do the quick cut Kevin Dunn "Style," he found a way to make it infinitely better like with the Rey-Miz Raw title match. But I digress, it was Kapoor who framed how Mark walked to the ring, how he didn't use a mic to yell at his opponents and just had the camera voyeuristically pick it up, it added a realness to it that accentuated Henry's intimidation factor. The opening shot of his entrance, when his back emerged and spanned the whole width of the image - that was amazing. That's all Kapoor baby! And it's telling that in the 12 years since, Dunn's been unable to recreate a comparable effect with anyone.
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 9, 2023 0:25:44 GMT -5
I remember her got insanely over when he turned face on Randy Orton. He was able to make the crowd go apeshit, then shut up, the go apeshit again, just by raising & lowering his hands.
Then there's the ECW run.
And of course the HOP run.
But I always was a fan. I liked his 2002 run, where the APA would take bets on if he could do some insane feat of strength.
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mc74
Samurai Cop
Posts: 2,439
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Post by mc74 on Jul 9, 2023 10:09:16 GMT -5
I loved it and thought this is where they should have went with him in 2006 and 2007.
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