"Mark Henry in NXT"- Wrestling fans hilariously react as WWE announces popular star's massive in-ring return
The wrestling world has jokingly compared a returning WWE Superstar to Hall of Famer Mark Henry on Twitter. The star in question is Odyssey Jones, who has been sidelined due to an injury since January 2022.
Since his debut on 205 Live, Jones has been compared to The World's Strongest Man. From his physique and on-screen presentation, several aspects of his character resemble the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He made his way to NXT as part of the 2021 Breakout Tournament. However, the powerhouse lost to Carmelo Hayes in the finals.
Due to a ruptured patellar tendon during a 205 Live dark match, Jones was forced to undergo surgery and thus was out of action for nearly ten months. Last week on NXT, Jones showed up in an SUV and offered Edris Enofe and Malik Blade a ride. Following that, WWE officially announced that Jones would be making his in-ring return on this week's episode of the Tuesday night show:
"Odyssey Jones returns to the ring tomorrow night on #WWENXT," WWE NXT tweeted.
Odyssey Jones returns to the ring tomorrow night on #WWENXT! @oshow94
ms.spr.ly/6013dgyaf https://t.co/94ugd8as85
Upon seeing the tweet, the wrestling world was in awe, assuming that the AEW personality had made his return to WWE.
@WWENXT @oshow94 They really got mark henry in nxt
@WWENXT @oshow94 https://t.co/86QubHVfbP
"ngl thought this was Mark Henry, was boutta say holy s***," a fan tweeted.
Check out the full tweet here.
People also trolled the NXT Superstar based on his resemblance to the WWE Hall of Famer.
@WWENXT Pony tailed weired looking mark Henry
@WWENXT @oshow94 Ok or massive Govno @JamesStrafela ? Henry 2.0
@WWENXT @oshow94 B-tech Mark Henry https://t.co/AnABLe0pch
@WWENXT @oshow94 looks like the pokemon evolution of Mark Henry
@WWENXT @oshow94 Ok but he better be more than just Mark Henry 2.0 this time around
@WWENXT @oshow94 Mark Henry and JTG combined
@WWENXT @oshow94 Wish verison of Mark Henry.
@robertg20960862 @SethRollinsson @WWENXT @oshow94 I mean his first Finsher was the World strongest slam and He has a similar attire
@WWENXT @oshow94 Canβt fool me. Thatβs Mark Henry with an updo
@WWENXT @oshow94 https://t.co/qNIpTRoYcB
Some fans were impressed with Odyssey's first run in the company before his injury and were thus excited to see him back in action.
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@WWENXT @oshow94 π₯π₯π₯π₯ LET'S GOOO!!!!! @oshow94 !!βπ½βπ½βπ½πͺπ½πͺπ½πͺπ½ππ #WWENXT!
@WWENXT @oshow94 Itβs been way to long glad heβs back @oshow94
@WWENXT @oshow94 https://t.co/NntnX7nMqu
@WWENXT @oshow94 Cant wait! Welcome back!
@WWENXT @oshow94 Welcome back Odyssey here's to a successful push
@WWENXT @oshow94 Glad to see him back
He was picking up steam when he got hurt
Here's to him staying healthy and running over dudes
Go odyssey!
Mark Henry helped Odyssey Jones elevate his pro wrestling career
Odyssey Jones was a special guest on an episode of Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast. During the show, the NXT Superstar revealed that he was aspiring to be a pro footballer before signing with WWE. He trained for his football career while working as a security guard in overnight shifts.
Jones caught the attention of Mark Henry during the AEW personality's visit to a Jiu-Jitsu symposium in New Jersey. Henry was impressed with the upstart and helped Jones secure an opportunity to try out for WWE.
"Every year, Joe does a Jiu-Jitsu symposium in New Jersey. For some reason, Mark Henry went one time. Next thing you know, he was sending him pictures of me and him in the gym to Mark Henry (...) Iβm getting a call from Canyon [Ceman] contacting me for a tryout, and you know, the rest is history,β Odyssey Jones said. [H/T Wrestling News.co]
Welcome to "405 Live," courtesy of @oshow94!
#205Live https://t.co/UQDYA09X80
WWE was seemingly building Jones to be the next Mark Henry. With Triple H now being the head of creative, only time will tell what's next for the upstart.
What do you think of Odyssey Jones? Let us know in the comments section below.