A Ryback Win vs. Mark Henry at WrestleMania 29 Is a Step in the Right Direction

Despite multiple reports of where Ryback is heading toward WrestleMania, it is pretty much official that we will see him in a match against Mark Henry. Seemingly, the WWE is building the feud as if an explosion will take place come the PPV.

And I believe it will.

Constantly beating two jobbers simultaneously on SmackDown became a bit redundant. Insomuch that whatever pops that he started with in the beginning of his debut as Ryback quickly transformed to "Goldberg" chants. Then, he started beating legitimate tag teams, such as Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks and Primo/Epico.

As if that was much better.

When it seemed as if his character became stale, WWE had enough confidence in him to be John Cena's replacement against CM Punk at Hell in a Cell. This ended up being a good thing, as Ryback received the biggest pops of his WWE tenure during that feud. He was so close to becoming WWE champion due to his freight train-like momentum.

But then—The Shield.

Although the concept and debut of The Shield continues to be a good investment, the group has sabotaged Ryback's career with its multiple attacks and victories over a once-unstoppable Ryback. Even still, he has yet to get any retribution and revenge on the trio. Only time will tell if that feud is revisited based on the happenings of this past SmackDown.

Admittedly, Ryback was left without much direction after the feud against The Shield, and his momentum has been significantly stalled. However, the more-than-likely match that will take place against Mark Henry at WrestleMania is just what Ryback needs to regain the steam that he had last fall.

A loss for Mark Henry would not not hurt him in the slightest. His character is over, and he is dominant enough to quickly rebound from a Ryback victory. Conversely, if Ryback loses, his career would continue to plummet.

Hopefully the right decision is made at WrestleMania, and Ryback leaves the match victorious. Can Big Hungry hoist him up The World's Strongest Man for his Shell Shock finisher? Well, I'd be impressed if that happens.

Do you think a win against Mark Henry at WrestleMania XXIX will put Ryback's career back in the right direction? Comment, civilly, below.

Chris Featherstone is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, as well as a writer for WrestlingInc.com. Continue to show your support by following @cravewrestling on Twitter, liking the Crave Wrestling Facebook page, and tuning in to the Pancakes and Powerslams wrestling talk show Tuesday nights at 11 p.m. ET on Blog Talk Radio.