Henry O. Godwinn | |
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Canterbury in 1995
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Birth name | Mark Canterbury |
Born |
West Virginia |
March 16, 1964
Children | Shane Canterbury Jordan Canterbury |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) |
Henry O. Godwinn Mark Canterbury Shanghai Pierce Master Blaster |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Billed weight | 297 lb (135 kg) |
Billed from |
Amarillo, Texas (as Shanghai Pierce) "Bitters, Arkansas" (as Henry O. Godwinn) |
Trained by |
George South The Italian Stallion |
Debut | 1989 |
Retired | 2007 |
Mark Canterbury (born March 16, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation in the mid to late 1990s under the ring name Henry O. Godwinn. He is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s as Shanghai Pierce.
Canterbury trained under George South and The Italian Stallion before debuting in 1989 under the ring name "Mean" Mark Canterbury. He quickly formed a tag team with Dennis Knight wrestling under the name Tex Slazenger.
In October 1992, the duo began wrestling for World Championship Wrestling, with Canterbury adopting the ring name "Shanghai Pierce". Dusty Rhodes suggested that Canterbury wear a mask because Canterbury's good looks could make him too likable for the heel tag team. They remained with the promotion until 1994, with Pierce forced to unmask on the January 29 edition of WCW Saturday Night after losing to Johnny B. Badd.
In mid-1994, Canterbury joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he was renamed Henry Orpheus Godwinn (the initials spelling "H.O.G."; his middle name "Orpheus" was never said on television) and given the gimmick of an Arkansan pig farmer who carried a bucket of "" to the ring, which he would throw upon his opponents. Canterbury was originally a heel, and assisted the Million Dollar Corporation on several occasions. When the leader of the Corporation, Ted DiBiase, was asked on an episode of WWF Action Zone whether or not Canterbury was a member of the Corporation, DiBiase insulted Canterbury. This inspired Canterbury to turn face by "slopping" DiBiase, and led to a brief feud between Canterbury and Corporation member Sycho Sid.