WWE Vengeance 2011 Results: The Top 7 Contenders for the World Heavyweight Title

At Vengeance, Mark Henry retained his World Heavyweight Championship in the oddest of fashions. During his match with Big Show, Mark Henry went for a superplex and connected, destroying the ring and knocking both men out of the match.  

We were given no real ruling, but a referee handed Mark Henry the belt as he was helped backstage.

So with that in mind, what is next for the World Heavyweight Champion? Where does he go from here and who is next in line? Here's a list of seven WWE SmackDown superstars who could potentially be in the running.

Let me know where you think the story goes from here in the comments below, or follow me on Twitter (@TheOneTC) and give me your input.

No. 7: Daniel Bryan

Whether we've all forgot about it or not, Daniel Bryan is still SmackDown's Mr. Money in the Bank, so technically, he's always just a moment away from the World Heavyweight Championship.  

But does this mean that he's ready to take on The World's Strongest Man?

Probably not, but that's why he's ranked No. 7.  Daniel Bryan hasn't even proven that he can beat your everyday SmackDown superstars, so he would need a miracle to defeat Mark Henry.

 Bryan's title shot is still likely several months away, waiting for him at WrestleMania as he has claimed.

No. 6: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is now coming off of a Vengeance loss against his former mentor and Legacy leader, Randy Orton.

While I personally think that he shouldn't have lost that match as easily as he did, the Intercontinental Champion has been knocked further down the ladder.

What keeps Rhodes alive is the fact that he is currently the Intercontinental Champion. He has also brought back the classic white Intercontinental belt, which signifies that he is as great as some of the WWE legends and Hall of Famers who held that same belt.

Back in the days of the white Intercontinental Title belt, the champion would frequently clash with the top champion in WWE. Does that mean that Cody Rhodes will get his shot at Mark Henry?

No. 5: Christian

Christian has fallen apart from the gold that he formerly wore around his waist, but don't think that he is completely out of the picture.

Christian's new idea is to keep begging for "one more match," so don't expect anything to change with that.  

He'll likely appear on SmackDown next week, or possibly even Raw, saying that his Vengeance loss to Sheamus was a fluke and that he still deserves "one more match."

Will Christian get that match? It is possible, but unlikely.

No. 4: Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett is slowly but surely making his way back into title contention.  

He has seemed to have eclipsed the Intercontinental Title scene and is beginning to make his way toward Mark Henry and the World Heavyweight Championship.

Most recently, Wade Barrett defeated Mr. Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan, on last week's episode of SmackDown. With that decisive win, Barrett took another step toward proving that he can take on bigger and stronger opponents.

Does that mean that one of those bigger and stronger opponents will be Mark Henry? We shall see in time.

No. 3: Randy Orton

At Vengeance Randy Orton did what he does best: defeat his opponents with authority and prove that he is one of the top superstars in WWE.

With his victory over Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, Orton will likely make his way back to where he was only a few weeks ago.

I'm not sure if WWE plans on continuing the feud between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, as it seemed only like a way to keep both men busy and on the pay-per-view.  

So if this feud has been squashed as quickly as it came, we can expect to see Randy Orton back in the hunt for the World Heavyweight Championship.

No. 2: Sheamus

Sheamus has just about everything going for him right now.

At Vengeance he defeated Christian with a powerful Brogue Kick, sending Christian aching and cowering back to the locker room and also knocking him further out of the title picture.

Sheamus also has become one of, if not the most popular face on SmackDown.

Randy Orton will always draw a great response, but Sheamus has gone from major heel to fan favorite faster than many superstars could ever think of, and he did it without quickly changing alignments and attacking a major heel.

Will SmackDown's "Great White" Sheamus be next in line? I would say yes, if it wasn't for...

No. 1: Big Show

...The Big Show.

Here's the most important thing to remember about The World's Largest Athlete: he never lost the match against Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Title at Vengeance.  

The match ended in a draw which allows Henry to retain the belt. With that in mind, how can you say that he isn't still the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship?

I personally thought that the match between Big Show and Mark Henry at Vengeance was one of the best of the night. Whether or not it had much competition is a discussion for another article, but it's safe to say that Big Show and Henry can put on a show.

I feel that this feud will continue for months to come, and will likely keep SmackDown's former spotlight hog, Randy Orton, away for a while.

Unless Sheamus starts knocking on the door soon, expect to see another round or two of Henry vs. Big Show.