In a recent interview, WWE Hall-of-Famer Mark Henry revealed a surprising nickname WWE wanted to give him that he saw as an insult.
Mark Henry had a very unique career in the top wrestling company in the world. But the former Olympian had several bumps in the road during his time in the company. It led to various character changes, with one of the most notable being his memorable period as “Sexual Chocolate” Mark Henry.
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Eventually, he hit a peak in 2011 during his run as world champion and the creation of his infamous “Hall of Pain.” However, on the road to that dominant time, it seems the company suggested a nickname the WWE legend turned down immediately due to the ugly racial connotations.
WWE wanted to nickname Mark Henry the ‘Silverback’?
“There was really nothing I did that I didn’t want to do except when they wanted to do the ‘silverback’ thing,” Henry said in a chat with interviewer Denis Salcedo. “I’m a Black man in America, I got little Black kids all over the world looking up to me. The last thing I need to do is call myself a f***ing primate.”
During Vince McMahon’s time overseeing WWE, there were many instances of performers being given characters with too heavy an ethnic or cultural lean. And in some cases, they were stereotypical of certain races.
They may have meant no harm in the suggestion of a powerful athlete being named after a powerful animal. But based on the racism men and women of African descent have had to deal with throughout history it is understandable why Mark Henry felt that name was in poor taste.
