WWE Night of Champions 2011: Mark Henry's Reign of Terror Will Begin Sunday

The thought of Mark Henry as world heavyweight champion is likely to make most WWE fans cringe, but the more thought you put into it, the more you will realize that he should beat Randy Orton at Night of Champions on Sunday night.

The SmackDown roster has been decimated by injuries and wrestlers having pushes stop and start so much that no one takes anyone on the show, with the obvious exception of Orton, seriously.

Henry, while he is still not a good worker in the ring, has done his best work ever in WWE the last two months. He has found his niche as a monster who goes around pummeling opponents into oblivion, and it is the first time where you actually believe that his push might end with a victory in a championship match.

The only thing that will stop Henry from getting the championship is his inability to work in the ring, not that that matters much in WWE, because the fans have never gotten into him as a main event worker.

But this time feels different. With the WWE roster being so low on talent, guys that don't normally get pushes are going to be given a chance because WWE needs to find any stars that it can as fast as it can.

Plus, if Orton just beats Henry clean in the middle of the ring, what is he supposed to do next? Even if he doesn't defeat him clean but is able to win somehow, some way, what do you do with him?

WWE completely killed Christian as a credible challenger for the title, Sheamus turned babyface and Great Khali can't walk to the ring, so there are no workers on the heel side left to work with Orton after Henry.

Is a one-month reign really going to send WWE business spiraling down further than it already has? The company has had to cancel several SmackDown house shows in recent weeks with Orton as champion, so it is not like he is selling a lot of tickets either.

Orton needs legitimate main event challengers on SmackDown, and Henry is ready for his first title reign, so there is no reason not to give Henry the belt.

It makes sense from a business perspective and a storyline perspective. Of course, since Orton is protected at all costs, there is a better chance that John Cena loses to Alberto Del Rio tonight.

If WWE wants to do right by the championship, Henry will walk away from Night of Champions as a champion.