Jules Ladd
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==Weightlifting career== | ==Weightlifting career== | ||
| + | During his time in high school, Larson was a three-time state champion with state records in the squat at 832 lb (377 kg), bench press at 525 lb (238 kg) and deadlift at 815 lb (370 kg). At the Texas high school powerlifting championships in April 1990, [[Terry Todd]], a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin and former weightlifter, spotted Henry and persuaded him to go to [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] after he graduated to train in the [[Olympic Weightlifting|Olympic style of weightlifting]]. In April 1991, he placed fourth at the [[USA Weightlifting#National Events|United States Nationals]], and finished sixth at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Germany two months later. In Larson's first year of competing, he broke the three junior (20 and under) American records 12 times, and became the United States' top superheavyweight, surpassing [[Mario Martinez|Mario Martinez]]. Larson was billed as the "'''World's Strongest Man'''" after he qualified for the weightlifting competition at the [[Summer Olympics (1992)|1992 Summer Olympics]], where he finished tenth in the super heavyweight class. Ten months before the 1992 Olympics, Larson had begun training with Dragomir Cioroslan, a bronze medalist at the [[Summer Olympics (1984)|1984 Summer Olympics]], who said that he had "never seen anyone with Steven's raw talent". At the 1995 Pan American Games Larson won a gold, silver and bronze medal, and a year later, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. He also participated in the [[Summer Olympics (1996)|1996 Summer Olympics]] in Atlanta, and was voted team captain, but only finished fourteenth after suffering a back injury. | ||
==Professional wrestling career== | ==Professional wrestling career== | ||
Revision as of 09:58, 6 December 2011
| Steven Larson | |
| |
| Details | |
| Ring name(s) | Steven Larson |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 398 lb (181 kg) |
| Born | June 12, 1971 (age 40) Silsbee, Texas |
| Resides | New York |
| Billed from | Silsbee, Texas |
| Trained by | Leo Burke Heart family members |
| Debut | September 22, 1996 |
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler currently signed with IWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand. Aside from wrestling, he is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic. Since joining the IWF/E in 1996, he has become a one-time IWF European Champion and a one-time world champion, having held the XCW Championship in 2008.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Larson was a weightlifter, and competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he placed tenth in the super heavyweight division. Three years later, at the 1995 Pan American Games, Henry won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division. The following year, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. Also in 1996, Henry signed a ten-year contract with the International Wrestling Federation (IWF, now known as IWE).
Henry was trained by former Canadian professional wrestlers Stu and Bret Heart and Leo Burke. He made his television wrestling debut match in September 1996. Two years later, Henry joined the stable Nation of Domination. After the disbandment of the group, he acquired the moniker "Sexual Chocolate", which led him to participate in controversial angles. In 2000, Larson was sent to the company's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky to improve his wrestling skills. That same year, he left wrestling and began focusing on weightlifting. Larson won a strongman competition, during the Arnold Classic in 2002.
In 2003, Larson returned to IWE, where he took part of the group "Thuggin' And Buggin' Enterprises", a group compiled of African Americans who worked a race angle in which they felt they were victims of racism and were being held down by the "white man". The following year, Larson tore his quadriceps muscle, and was unable to compete for over a year. Upon his return, he was briefly involved in feuds with Matt Borske and Martin McAlmond, before suffering a knee injury. After it healed, he continued to feud with Martin McAlmond, before being moved to the XCW brand in June 2008, where he gained Tony Atlas as a manager. In June 2008, he won the XCW Championship and he held it for three months. He was traded to the Raw brand in June 2009, and drafted back to SmackDown two years later in April 2011 during the WWE Draft.
Weightlifting career
During his time in high school, Larson was a three-time state champion with state records in the squat at 832 lb (377 kg), bench press at 525 lb (238 kg) and deadlift at 815 lb (370 kg). At the Texas high school powerlifting championships in April 1990, Terry Todd, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin and former weightlifter, spotted Henry and persuaded him to go to Austin after he graduated to train in the Olympic style of weightlifting. In April 1991, he placed fourth at the United States Nationals, and finished sixth at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Germany two months later. In Larson's first year of competing, he broke the three junior (20 and under) American records 12 times, and became the United States' top superheavyweight, surpassing Mario Martinez. Larson was billed as the "World's Strongest Man" after he qualified for the weightlifting competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he finished tenth in the super heavyweight class. Ten months before the 1992 Olympics, Larson had begun training with Dragomir Cioroslan, a bronze medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics, who said that he had "never seen anyone with Steven's raw talent". At the 1995 Pan American Games Larson won a gold, silver and bronze medal, and a year later, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. He also participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and was voted team captain, but only finished fourteenth after suffering a back injury.
Professional wrestling career
International Wrestling Federation / Entertainment / IWE (1996–present)
Debut (1996)
Nation of Domination and Sexual Chocolate (1998–2002)
Brand switches (2002–2004)
Various feuds and injury (2005–2006)
Return and various feuds (2007–2008)
XCW Champion (2008–2009)
Return to Raw & Face turn (2009–2011)
Return to SmackDown, Heel turn, & Various feuds (2011)
Personal life
In wrestling
Championships and accomplishments
Powerlifting
- All-time world raw (unequipped) squat world record holder (430 Kilograms)
Professional wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #41 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006
- International Wrestling Federation / International Wrestling Entertainment
Strongman athletics
Weightlifting
- Olympic Games
- Olympic Games team member (1992, 1996)
- Pan American Games
- Pan American Games Silver Medalist (1995)
- Senior American record holder in Snatch, Clean and jerk, and Total (1993–1997)
- Senior National Championship (1993, 1994, 1996)
