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#4 Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio and more in a 20-Man World Heavyweight Championship Battle Royal- SmackDown January 13th, 2006
Mark Henry returned to SmackDown in late 2005 and demolished Batista, leading to one of WWE's best battle royals not listed as a Royal Rumble. Genuinely, this bout was fantastic. The early going, of course, served to highlight T"he Wrestling Machine Kurt Angle," who jumped from RAW to SmackDown.
In the opening seconds, Angle tossed former WWE Champion JBL to the floor along with Big Vito. Angle, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Bobby Lashley then carved their way through the competition.
Mark Henry would be the one to eliminate the future World Heavyweight Champion, absolutely manhandling Lashley like he'd done to anyone else unfortunate enough to stumble into his path. Another fan favorite, Henry's fellow AEW co-worker Matt Hardy, was also eliminated by "The World's Strongest Man." Eventually it came down to Rey Mysterio and Henry, while Kurt Angle was knocked out on the floor.
The crowd went mental for Mysterio, as he was in a terrible situation against a newly improved Henry. "Eddie" chants filled the stadium while the underdog did his best to chop down the big man. Henry even felt the wrath of not one, but two 619s. Still, he was able to withstand Mysterio fury. Henry caught his opponent in midair and launched him high over the ropes to eliminate him.
At that point, it was down to Mark Henry and Angle, and for the next seven minutes in the Wachovia Center, the Olympian put on a phenomenal performance. The clash was all based around one major point. How could Angle get Henry over the ropes? He hit the big man with an Angle Slam, but Henry responded with a splash in the corner that left Angle crumbling to the floor.
Kurt Angle quickly went from a hated heel on RAW to one of the most loved heroes in his home state when he finally forced Mark Henry to tumble over the ropes.
This match was a perfect way to highlight what Mark Henry could bring to a promotion. He was excellently presented as a dominant, destructive heavyweight that's nearly impossible for anyone, even the company's top dogs, to overcome.
