5 Directions for the WWE World Heavyweight Title After Hell in a Cell

Now that Mark Henry has won his first World Heavyweight Championship, there are many questions surrounding what will happen next.

Will Henry be able to retain his title against Randy Orton inside Hell in a Cell?

Will Orton recapture his title and make Henry another victim of backstage politics and the creative team's love for having Orton and John Cena hold their major titles whenever possible?

Is there another possible opponent waiting for their opportunity to strike while Orton and Henry are focused on each other?

As surprising, for some, as Henry's title victory at Night of Champions was, it is not without its fair share of uncertainty surrounding the world title scene.  Henry certainly has earned his right to be called a champion after 15 years in the business doing crappy storylines and competing in dance-offs with Great Khali.  But will it last, or will we have another case of Christian-syndrome on our hands?

If and when this Henry/Orton feud ends, there has to be somewhere else for each man to go to.  The question is who?

Here's the short list that includes both men and which direction the world title could be heading towards in the near future following Hell in a Cell.

Henry Retians; Goes on to Face Sheamus

Henry could very possibly retain his title if creative has enough faith in him to let the title be on somebody besides Orton for a while.

If he does, the next logical opponent for him is the great white Irishman Sheamus.  Given his recent face turn and ever growing fan appeal, Sheamus is ready for his shot at the gold as a face.

Sheamus and Henry have history in the last month or so and a feud over the title with these two would seem too perfect to pass up.  Henry put Sheamus through the railing during their match at SummerSlam, resulting in a Henry count out victory.  They had a hard fought rematch on Smackdown two weeks later ending with a Brogue Kick to Henry over the announcer's table resulting in yet another count out victory, this time for Sheamus. Their mini feud ended with Sheamus being World Strongest Slammed on top of the steel steps. 

Since then, these two have had minimal interaction with one another and both moved on to different feuds—Henry with Orton and Sheamus seemingly starting one with Christian. 

With their stat line being even at 1-1, it only seems fair that Sheamus gets the first crack at Henry at Vengeance.

Orton Wins; Henry Demands Rematch

Of course this one is the most obvious so I thought I'd get it out of the way early.

Orton regains the title to continue his legacy and becomes a 10-time world champion. So Henry obviously gets his rematch for the title that he only held for two weeks (Christian-syndrome).

But when and where does he get it?

Current logic states that he would more than likely get his rematch on an episode of Smackdown, presumably if they feel Henry's reign was not good enough and they did not want to waste another pay per view on him against Randy.

However, current logic over on Smackdown also states that they like to have feuds last longer than they really should, so I would expect them to duke it out again at Vengeance. 

And to spice it up a bit, maybe they make it into a two out of three falls match so there is a clear and decisive winner. 

In this scenario, I would expect Orton to retain and go on to Survivor Series with the championship and possibly be involved with the Triple H/CM Punk saga, if that story stays afloat until then. 

Henry Retains; Fatal Four Way at Vengeance

This round goes to Henry and he gets the opportunity to keep a sustained reign alive for at least another few weeks.

Except this time, Orton feels like he deserves one more chance.  Hey, Christian got how many chances and still kept losing? He should be entitled to it as well.

Speaking of Christian, if he comes out on top of his new feud with Sheamus, he will once again have reason to complain about getting yet another opportunity.  Sheamus, however, will use this as his opportunity to be placed in the title picture since he beat Henry not too long ago. 

New GM Edge, yes I'm making that call right now, decides that both men have a legitimate claim to being the next one in line for a title shot and makes it a fatal four way.

Henry, though, will be unfazed and begin to start dreaming of the ways he can demolish three different challengers at once.

In this fatal four way with all the top players on Smackdown in the match, I would fully expect Henry to retain again and possibly in very convincing fashion. 

Heck if they are going to let him beat Orton cleanly to win the title they might as well keep upgrading the man's stock as the most dominant heel in the company.

Orton Win; Henry Taken out by Kane and Big Show; Cody Rhodes New No. 1 Contender

Ah, the gold ol' days of three spoiled superstars reminding people of just how spoiled they really are.  How I do miss thee.

Henry has now been taken out of action due to Kane and Big Show attacking him after Orton has beaten him to reclaim his title.  This will sideline Henry for a while.  Not as long as Show and Kane, but long enough to have to find another opponent for Orton.

Rhodes has just come off of losing his Intercontinental Championship to former mentee and friend Ted DiBiase.  Rhodes gives himself credit for that because it was because of his efforts to make Ted relevant again that he regained his confidence and swagger.  Rhodes now looks to set his sights on bigger and better things—the World Heavyweight Championship.

Rhodes does have a legitimate claim to a title match against Orton as he beat him (with an assist from Henry) on Raw two weeks ago.  He will remind Randy that he knows him better than anybody else possibly could and that if anybody could uncoil the Viper, it would be him.

However Edge feels that Rhodes needs to earn it, so he puts him in a match against Sheamus, who will be fresh off of his victory over Christian to earn his spot in the match.

Rhodes will end up winning the match against Sheamus with the help of DiBiase, who will realign with Rhodes as it was all part of a greater plan for both men to be holding individual championships. Also, what better way for Orton to face Rhodes than to also have DiBiase involved to some extent.  There is just far too much history between these three to leave out one of them.

Of course, Orton will win against Rhodes even after all of DiBiase's ill advised attempts to take him out of the matchup with the referee distracted by Rhodes for one reason or another.  This feud could last until TLC if played out properly

Henry Wins, Attacks Orton Further After Match, Undertaker Returns

It has been speculated and wished for months now from wrestling fans all over the country.  When will the Undertaker make his return?

Well folks, this may be one of the best chances to get him back and into the title picture than any other.  Henry has been on a massive role as of late, and another win over Orton would cement him into permanent status in the title hunt for some time to come.

Many people want to see Taker return to challenge Mark Henry for the Streak at Wrestle Mania, but I have a feeling the company may be pulling a rabbit out of the hat for his opponent then.  For now, Henry will do just fine as a welcome back match for the Deadman. 

Picture this with your imagine brush if you will:

Henry has just defeated Orton to retain his title inside Hell in a Cell.  Orton, beaten and battered, can barely make it to his feet to walk out of the ring.  Henry, seeing a very vulnerable and weak man, instinctively attacks trying to make people realize just how dangerous he really is. 

Just as Henry is about to World's Strongest Slam Orton through the top of the cell, the lights are cut.  The announcing team is confused and curious, while Henry is frantically yelling, trying to get somebody to turn the lights back on. 

BONG! BONG!

Yes, Undertaker has returned.  The lights turn back on, Undertaker is standing on top of the cell, Henry is laying flat on his back inside the middle of the ring with a huge hole in the top where he went crashing down to earth.  He then proceeds to help Orton to his feet only to throw him to the mat as well.  

That's how you make Taker's comeback even more memorable. 

Conclusion

There you have it.

My five ways to continue to make the World Heavyweight Championship important and fun again for the fans.  The WWE title has taken center stage for too long, it's time for the Blue Brand's grand prize to get some respect.

What do you think? 

Did I miss anything of grave importance?

Let me know what your take is.

And remember:  Mike Mizian is a very, very, VERY lucky dog.