Is Odyssey Jones related to Mark Henry? Family explored

Odyssey Jones bears a striking familiarity with 2018 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Mark Henry. Besides their physical appearance, the 28-year-old uses a Falling PowerSlam as his finisher move, which was named 'The World's Strongest Slam' during Henry's run on the main roster. His personality and attire also bear a resemblance to the legend.

However, Odyssey Jones has no blood relation to Mark Henry. Odyssey's real name is Omari Palmer, and he is from Coram, New York, while Henry is from Texas. Both stars may not be related, but are good friends, and the latter even assisted Omari in his WWE debut.

Jones has a degree in sociology from Syracuse University, where he played as an offensive lineman for the Syracuse Orange football team from 2012 to 2016. He performed in the first three games of his senior season before suffering a leg injury that cost him the remainder of the year. The soon-to-be WWE star hit the gym to get fit and was spotted by Joe Saladino, who got in touch with Mark Henry.

Odyssey Jones and Mark Henry became good friends when Salandno set him up for a WWE tryout. During an appearance in After the Bell with Corey Graves, the self-proclaimed Future Favorite disclosed the whole incident.

"I would work overnight, go straight to the gym, work out, do some cardio, sleep, wake up, eat, go to the gym, and go back to work. I was doing that for like 4 or 5 months. This guy came up to me and said, ‘I always see you in here.' [...] He said, ‘Have you ever thought about WWE?’ It’s crazy because literally the night before, I was literally looking up places to train, to wrestle. I said, ‘Yea, I need to leave, fresh start.’"

Jones also thought that the man was bluffing when he said he would set him up with a tryout, but he was in for a shock.

"He was friends with Mark Henry. 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. Next thing you know, I’m getting a call from Canyon (Ceman) contacting me for a tryout, and you know, the rest is history." (H/T WrestlingNews)

Odyssey Jones succeeded in the tryout in June 2018 and signed with WWE the following year. He was the finalist in the NXT Breakout Tournament in 2021, losing to Carmelo Hayes in the finals.

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Termed the 'next Mark Henry' by fans, Odyssey Jones got drafted to the WWE RAW brand

Odyssey Jones is among the few WWE NXT talent who had a brief stint in the developmental before getting to the main roster. Such superstars usually get a massive push on the main roster due to their wrestling prowess.

The self-proclaimed Future Favorite hit his main roster call-up to the red brand during the WWE Draft 2023. It will be interesting to see how the 405-lb star fares against the likes of Chad Gable, Braun Strowman, and Intercontinental Champion Gunther.