Early career (1989–1992) 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.
World Championship Wrestling (1992–1994) 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.
World Wrestling Federation (1994–1998) Singles competition (1994–1995) In November 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 "
slop" 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. Godwinn engaged in a
feud with the
aristocratic Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The feud culminated in December 1995 in an "Arkansas Hog Pen match" that Helmsley won and after which Godwinn tossed Helmsley into the slop.
The Godwinns and Southern Justice (1996–1998) In January 1996, Canterbury was reunited with Knight, who had been renamed Phineas I. Godwinn. The duo were portrayed as being cousins (later brothers) and were collectively known as "
The Godwinns". The two were faces and were managed by
Hillbilly Jim. They began to feud with the
Body Donnas with Phineas having a crush on
Sunny and signed her as their manager. They would beat the Body Donnas for the
WWF Tag Team Championships. Eventually Sunny turned on them costing them their titles. The Godwinns feuded with the now heel
Smoking Gunns, in losing efforts. In 1997, the Godwinns began a heel turn dropping Hillbilly Jim as a manager and picking up
Uncle Cletus. The Godwinns quickly won the tag titles a second time from
The Headbangers and began a heated feud with the
Legion of Doom, which saw the team attempt to break
Road Warrior Hawk's neck. They eventually dropped the titles to LOD in a match on
WWF Monday Night Raw that had LOD's career on the line. Soon after that match they attacked and fired Cletus. In 1997, in a rematch between The Godwinns and the Legion of Doom, Canterbury cracked his
C7 vertebra when he fell on his head after taking the
Doomsday Device. He was advised by doctors to rest for fifteen weeks, but returned to the ring in less than eight weeks. In 1998, Canterbury entered the
Brawl for All, a
shoot-fighting tournament held by the WWF. He lost in the first round to
Bradshaw. Later that year, the Godwinns dropped their pig farmer gimmicks, now going by their real names and wearing sharp suits under the name "Southern Justice", the bodyguards of
Tennessee Lee and
Jeff Jarrett. Six months later, Canterbury
herniated his C7 vertebra and pinched a spinal nerve, necessitating spinal fusion surgery. This came as a result of him returning to the ring too early after his neck injury. He eventually left the WWF and retired, due to the neck injury suffered in September 1998.
Survivor Series (2020) On November 22, 2020, Canterbury returned to WWE together with
Phineas I. Godwinn as
The Godwinns, to take part in
The Undertaker's retirement ceremony at
Survivor Series. Several other members of the
Bone Street Krew also appeared to pay tribute.
Independent Circuit (2009–2010) After a two-year hiatus from wrestling, Canterbury returned to wrestling as Shanghai Pierce in 2009. He lost to
Jimmy Valiant on March 7, 2009, at Bruiser Wrestling Federation in Farmville, Virginia. On July 25, 2010, he teamed with Frank Parker as they lost to
Reid Flair and
Ricky Morton for SSW WrestleFest 2010 in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Return to Wrestling (2017–2022) As Henry O. Godwinn, Canterbury made appearances wrestling for the IWC (International Wrestling Cartel) in the mid-summer of 2021. He wrestled on September 5, 2021, against Chase Gold and Ella Shae with a random tag team partner in Elizabeth, PA at their Unbreakable event. ==Personal life==