Mark Henry always gives credit where credit is due and he makes no exception for a legendary name that helped so many in the WWE Attitude Era.
On a recent episode of “Busted Open Radio,” Henry took a moment to tip the cap to a true trailblazer in the pro wrestling industry in WWE Hall Of Famer Ron Simmons. With Father’s Day weekend just occuring, Henry put Simmons on that level saying that “he was a father to all of us.”
“He was like, ‘It’s about longevity,’ I always try to imitate him but he’s impossible to imitate, ‘You understand me? When I tell you what I told you, you need to pay attention…’ To be a historical influence on not just me but on hundreds and maybe even thousands of wrestlers I appreciate that.”
Mark Henry Isn’t The Only Legend Ron Simmons Influenced
Henry undoubtedly has close ties to Ron Simmons as he was a member of the Nation Of Domination faction back when he was still in the early stages of his WWE career. Even before taking the alias of Farooq, Simmons established himself in the world of wrestling, becoming the first ever African-American World Champion for a mainstream pro wrestling promotion and proved his tag team dominance with Butch Reed in Doom. He later continued to create that tag team identity with JBL as a member of the APA. Another legend to attest to Simmons’ influence was Mark Henry’s “Busted Open” co-host, Bully Ray.
“I don’t even know if me and Mark can put into words how much Ron Simmons meant to the locker room, meant to the industry, what kind of a friend he is, what kind of a mentor. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
H/t to Wrestling Inc.