WWE TLC 2011: Exploring the History of the Mark Henry-Big Show Rivalry

Current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry, has quickly become one of the most dominant champions that SmackDown (and WWE itself) has seen in quite some time.  His current reign as champion will stand at 91 days when TLC goes live from Baltimore, which will be the tenth longest WWE World Heavyweight Title reign in history and is the longest World Heavyweight Title reign since Kane held the title over a year ago.

The feud between Mark Henry and Big Show stretches back over six months, and it has been a constant feud for Henry since his heel turn.  Though the two men are two of the biggest superstars in WWE, they work very well together, putting on high quality matches even though their size limits certain aspects of professional wrestling that can be seen when other superstars square off.

Their match at Vengeance was one of the highlights of a relatively disappointing pay-per-view, and at the very least created a ring shattering moment that I'm sure will be replayed on WWE programming for many years to come. I expect the chairs match at TLC to be no different.

If you haven't been keeping up with the Mark Henry/Big Show feud over the past several months, here's a refresher that will help you better understand both superstars and the stipulation behind their match.

Back in June, Big Show got in some trouble for laying his hands on Alberto Del Rio, as the two were set to square off at Capitol Punishment just a few days later.  Teddy Long decided to teach Big Show a lesson, and stuck him in a match with Mark Henry.

Before the match could officially start, Big Show attacked Henry with a kick, several punches, and even knees to the head.  Henry was wheeled out on a stretcher and was said to have suffered a concussion.

Two days later at Capitol Punishment, Henry appeared and attacked Big Show before the start of his match with Del Rio, delivering a World's Strongest Slam through the announcer's table and consequentially costing Big Show the match.

The feud picked up from there when Big Show's music played and distracted Henry long enough for him to lose a No. 1 contenders match.  Two two faced off at Money in the Bank, where Henry picked up the win and celebrated by crushing Big Show's foot with a chair, injuring him and keeping him off television for more than three months.

During that time, Mark Henry defeated Sheamus at SummerSlam and then at Night of Champions, toppled Randy Orton to claim his first ever WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  Henry continued to dominate The Viper, defeating him in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

The next night, Big Show returned to WWE programming, attacked Mark Henry with a chair and attempted to injure the World's Strongest Man in the same fashion that Big Show himself had been taken out.  Teddy Long stepped in and saved Mark Henry by granting Big Show a title match at Vengeance if he did not injure Henry's leg.

At Vengeance the two men went to war.  Both superstars worked each other's legs, keeping the injury angle alive throughout the match.  They also both hit their respective finishers, but were never able to score more than a two-count.  Then, as Big Show climbed the turnbuckle, Henry caught him and delivered a Superplex that collapsed the ring as well as both superstars, ending the match in a no contest.

The Two continued their feud into Survivor Series, where they met in a match that wasn't quite up to par with their Vengeance match, but it got the job done to further the feud.  Big show finally looked like he was going to become the superstar who would put a stop to the Mark Henry reign of terror.  After hitting a huge elbow drop from the top rope and almost connecting with the WMD, Mark Henry weaseled his way out of the match by kicking Big Show below the belt, losing the match via disqualification, but retaining the title.

Now the World Heavyweight Championship is on the line again, where one superstar should decisively walk out of the arena as the champion.  What better stipulation to potentially end the feud than in a chairs match?  It was a chair that injured Big Show and started the feud, so it seems fitting that a chair should ultimately end it as well.

I personally don't see WWE pulling the plug on Mark Henry and his Hall of Pain just yet, and if they do, it will probably be to someone like Sheamus or potentially even Daniel Bryan, who would both benefit greatly by being bale to topple the World's Strongest Man.

I think that you can expect X things on Sunday.  The recurring theme of chairs will be used to determine the outcome of the match (with no real injuries), this match will be the sleeper match of the night, and Mark Henry will walk out of Baltimore as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Follow TC on Twitter (@TheOneTC) and be on the lookout for his new wrestling blog, Total Chaos Wrestling, coming soon.