After she was allegedly sexually assaulted by
Batista in late December,
Melina brought
Mark Henry back to
SmackDown with a clear mission: protect her from the Animal by any means necessary. And Henry did just that, helping MNM defeat Batista &
Rey Mysterio for the
WWE Tag Team Championship in the process. If that wasn’t enough, Henry later injured the Animal during a match at a live event, forcing the Animal to surrender the
World Heavyweight Championship to
Theodore Long on Jan. 13.
Long announced a Battle Royal that night to crown a new champion, and Henry was an automatic odds-on favorite. However, Henry and the other SmackDown Superstars were shocked when the final entrant in the match was announced:
RAW’s
Kurt Angle. Angle was immediately the target of the other participants, and at one point, Henry press slammed Angle through the announce table at ringside.
As the match wound down, Henry and Mysterio were the final two entrants. After Henry eliminated Rey, he believed he had won the gold, until Angle peeled himself off the floor to stare down the World’s Strongest Man. Angle had not officially been eliminated, and as such re-entered the ring, where he eliminated Henry to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
The following week on RAW, Angle announced that a loophole in his contract allowed him to sign with SmackDown, but he would honor his final commitment and take on
Shawn Michaels that night. Unfortunately, a mistake by
Daivari cost Angle the match, and Angle fired Daivari on WWE.com Unlimited right after the match.
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That Friday night on SmackDown, Mysterio & Henry met once again in a No. 1 Contender’s Match, with the winner to face Angle for the gold at the Rumble. Angle was also in action, as Theodore Long announced he would meet Daivari one-on-one. After Henry defeated Rey to become No. 1 Contender, he and Melina made their way to ringside to watch Angle vs. Daivari.
As the match came to conclusion, Angle had Daivari in the Ankle Lock when Melina interfered, drawing a disqualification. Angle put her in the Ankle Lock instead, and Henry attacked the champion from behind. After Henry nailed Angle with the steel steps, Daivari and Melina shook hands and the master plan was revealed. Daivari introduced the World’s Strongest Man as his newest client, and promised that he would take the championship from the Olympic Gold Medalist at the Royal Rumble.
Can Angle overcome the World’s Strongest Man, or will Daivari lead another protégé to the World Heavyweight Championship? The answer will be revealed on Jan. 29 at the Royal Rumble.