Review Of WWE Network “Table For 3” With Big Show, Kane & Mark Henry

The 15th episode of the WWE Network original series “Table for 3” is entitled WWE Giants. Perhaps not the most creative title, but it fits its purpose as it features three larger that life men who have been known as The Giant, The Big Red Machine and The World’s Strongest Man. All three have been around since the mid-1990s and are still actively on the WWE roster. I’m curious to see if their conversation is centered more on the current product or their heyday.

Here is a recap of their 20 minute conversation over steak and enormous broccoli:

-The gentlemen begin with the requisite hello’s and Mark Henry says how nice it is to be able to get away from everyone for a chance. They are all in agreement as Big Show comments that this is fine dining with Kane. Kane says he does have some stroke in WWE, but the corporate deal didn’t work out as well as he would have liked.

-Kane brings up Henry’s un-aired debut on Raw in 1996. He says that Henry picked him up over his head and bear hugged him without permission. Big Show found this especially hilarious as he let out a cackle. Kane told him never to pick him up without telling him what he’s going to do first because a 300-pound man shouldn’t be picked up like a child. Big Show commented that it’s brutal when Henry does that, but Kane says Show has been guilty of it as well. They show a clip of Big Show chokeslamming Kane, but holding him up in the air for a few seconds before completing the maneuver.

-Kane wonders how it’s possible that he’s the smallest man at the table. Henry says only in wrestling are you able to say one guy is 7’0 and 400 pounds, another guy is 6’3 and 420 and the small guy is between 6’7-6’10 and 315. Big Show says at his heaviest he was over 500 pounds. He says in a match he was laying on the mat next to Kevin Nash and he was twice as thick as Nash. Show says someone did the math and at that time there was a bigger weight difference between himself and Nash than there was between Nash and Rey Mysterio. That is insane. He says that inspired him to start eating salads.

-Mark Henry comments that Big Show downplays his own strength. He says that he tells people Show is the strongest person he’s ever worked with and that he doesn’t realize the way he manhandles people. He says he’s tried to hold people up on a chokeslam like Big Show before, but he doesn’t have the stability in his shoulder. Kane says that’s because himself and Big Show are all go and Henry is all show. Henry laughs and says he did the phony lifting.

-Speaking of Henry’s lifting, Kane says Henry was unable to lift for about a year. His first day back he asked Kane to spot him while squatting. He says Henry squatted 600 pounds six times which is more than he’s ever done in his life and he trains every day. They tell another story about how someone had their gear stuck in a locker in a high school in Lafayette. Jericho and Billy Gunn were using a crowbar to pry it open unsuccessfully. Ron Simmons spots Henry and says, “There’s your crowbar right there, get over here and open this Mark!” I have to point out that Henry did an impeccable Ron Simmons voice. But, Henry reached his hand into the bent portion of the door and ripped it open, causing Jericho and Gunn to fall to the floor in laughter.

-Big Show says the three strongest men he’s ever worked with are Henry, Cena and Kane. He says stability is what he values most and when Cena picks him up he can order a pizza while he’s up there. He says Henry ad Kane also hold his weight better than anyone. Kane says one time he had Big Show up on his shoulder and he got distracted. Show was yelling at him to just slam him already. Kane said, “You’re not much of a giant now are you?” Show replied, “No I’m not, now put me down!” They all laughed and I did as well. It is hilarious the idea that someone that big would tell someone to put them down.

-The second segment starts with Kane discussing his and the locker room’s feelings when Big Show was on his way to the WWF in early 1999. He says they all believed he thought he’d run through the whole roster. Show says he learned really quick how unprepared he was. He retold the story about how Stone Cold was pissed at him for throwing him into the cage during his debut and that Austin yelled at him all the time. Henry says you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. Big Show tells the infamous Austin wedgie story and that Austin actually punched him in the jaw three times in the ring after the incident. This was on the heels of Austin kicking his ass every night on a European tour to the point where Vince asked why Show let Austin do that to him. When Big Show asked Vince what to do he told him to be a giant. He eventually started throwing Austin around and screaming at him to which Austin said, “There you go kid, way to fire up!” He credits Stone Cold with helping him figure out who he was.

-Kane says he had a “giant moment” with Big Show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Show can’t believe he remembers the town, but Henry points out how smart Kane is. He says out of nowhere Big Show “went raptor” on him and proceeded to beat him all over the ring. Vince yelled at Big Show backstage asking what was wrong with him and he replied, “You told me to be a giant. Now I don’t know what to do.”

-Henry has Big Show tell the story about his first day in the company. Jack Lanza and Pat Patterson notice Big Show has cigarettes and they each ask if they can have one. The three of them smoke a cigarette, Lanza and Patterson put theirs out while Show is still puffing away at his. Vince walks into a room full of smoke to see only Big Show smoking. Needless to say Vince lost it on him and Show realized he was set up.

-Henry starts telling a story about how he fell into the ring going through the ropes during his debut. He says the guys told him to get his green ass out of the ring. Kane recalls that it was “Vladimir” who gave Henry a hard time. Show again is astounded that Kane would know that. Henry says again how smart Kane is. Show says there is smart and then there is creepy and Kane is creepy. They then discuss how there is a consensus in the locker room that Kane is the smartest wrestler, to which Kane says to look at the competition.

-The third segment opens with Henry asking what is the dumbest thing they ever did in wrestling. Kane says it’s a long list and Show interjects asking if it’s the time he got hammered and said he was better than The Undertaker. Kane says that’s not true, that Paul Bearer did that. Big Show doesn’t believe him and says Paul Bearer would never lie to him. Kane is exasperated by this comment and Henry says Bearer hid his crutches from him when he broke his ankle. Big Show says Paul Bearer was an angel and he’d never do anything like that. Henry says, “Paul Wight, don’t make me call you by your whole name. That dude was mean and rotten.” Then the three of them recall how he used to put cucumbers in ‘Taker’s gear because he hated them.

-Big Show brings up how Henry wanted to beat up Shawn Michaels. He uncomfortably laughed while Kane found it really funny. He asks Henry if beating up Michaels and The Kliq was in his top five dumbest things. He says it would be if he actually did it. Kane and Show say they wouldn’t be sitting here with Mark if he did it. Henry said it would be just the two of them and an empty plate. He says the stupidest thing he ever did was accidentally go to Springfield, Illinois when a show was in Springfield, Massachusetts. He got to the rental car place looking for D’Lo Brown only to find out they were in different states. He missed the show and got fined for the mistake.

-Big Show tells a recent story about his bus. They were in Roanoke, Virginia and one tour was going to be in Richmond the following night while the other was in Columbia, South Carolina which is his hometown. He was originally supposed to go to Columbia and planned on spending time with his mom. He called her the night before telling her he got switched to the Richmond show and he wouldn’t be able to see her. He tells his driver since tomorrow is Sunday he wants to go to Cracker Barrel. He walks into the restaurant and people are telling him how they watched him play basketball in high school, much to his surprise. Then he notices a South Carolina Gamecock logo on the wall. He asks the driver where they are and he says they are in Columbia. He then had to call Kane and tell him he’d have to face The Wyatts in a two on one match that night.

-Kane has his own Springfield, Illinois story. He was leaving Springfield with a WWE trainer Larry Heck for Terre Haute, Illinois. They had made the drive in a downpour, but were only 20 minutes away from their destination before realizing they were supposed to be going to Terre Haute, Indiana. They had driven two hours in the wrong direction, only to have to turn and go back, arriving six hours later than planned.

-Big Show comments as the show is closing that the beautiful thing about the business is the camaraderie and the brotherhood they all share. How they fight like family but they are a united front. He says they’ve all been in the business for over 20 years but he’s come out of it with two life-long friends that he’ll never stop talking to.

-They exchange “I love you’s” before Show and Henry joke that the dinner wasn’t as good as they’d hoped for and they are about to go get some wings. Kane is not invited and left with the bill. Also, it didn’t look like anyone ate their broccoli.

MY THOUGHTS

First things first, while each of these guys has been around forever I was never a particularly big fan of any of the three. I did thoroughly enjoy Mark Henry’s “Sexual Chocolate” period though. I do respect all three, however. Their longevity is impressive and they have all had great runs in their careers.

Having just watched and reviewed No Mercy 2001 for my podcast, Mat Madness, I have to admit that I believe both Big Show and Kane are criminally underrated. It is a classic case of Harvey Dent’s speech in The Dark Knight, you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. I think they have been on TV so long and people have grown so tired of seeing their current form that they forget how great they once were.

As far as this episode is concerned, it was enjoyable, even if it did pop up out of nowhere. I thought the three of them had a great chemistry and they were all very funny together. They didn’t get into a lot of inside wrestling type of discussion, but every episode doesn’t need to be centered on that.

The strength of this episode was on the friendship these three have, the times they’ve shared and the experiences they’ve had. Big Show summed it up perfectly when he talked about the brotherhood and the camaraderie. The story about Jericho and Billy Gunny trying to pry open a locker just painted a picture of a youthful lifestyle that these guys get to hold onto for longer than most of us.

In summation, this won’t likely be anyone’s favorite episode of Table For 3, but you should take the time to watch it. You will enjoy it.