- Mark Henry. - Wikimedia Commons
Following the conclusion of the street fight between Randy Orton and David Otunga, the second hour of the November 29, 2011 SmackDown holiday special began with the All I Want For Christmas Battle Royal. After Hunico and Sheamus made their entrances, Hornswoggle came out and crawled under the ring.
All I Want For Christmas Battle Royal
Jimmy Uso and JTG were the first wrestlers eliminated as the fighting began. They were followed by Curt Hawkins, tossed over the rope by Ezekiel Jackson. Sheamus stared Jackson down and the two slugged it out in the center of the ring. Jackson charged and Sheamus lifted him up and threw him out of the ring, followed by Johnny Curtis.
Jey Uso, Kofi Kingston, Yoshi Tatsu, and Ted DiBiase were all eliminated in rapid succession. In the match's most embarrassing moment, Hornswoggle emerged from under the ring and eliminated Tyson Kidd.
After a commercial break, Justin Gabriel was knocked off the apron by Jinder Mahal. Titus O'Neal hit Tyler Reks with his finishing move but was promptly eliminated by Sheamus. Heath Slater attacked him from behind, and Mahal joined him in kicking Sheamus in the corner.
Sheamus turned the tables and flattened both men. Tyler Reks ended his rampage, and the remaining heels pummeled Sheamus as he chased Reks out of the ring. With Sheamus incapacitated along the barricades, Mahal led the others in pulling Hornswoggle from under the ring and attacking him relentlessly.
Sheamus returned to stop them from tossing Hornswoggle out. He eliminated Reks, Hunico, and Mahal rapidly and polished Slater off with a Brogue Kick. Sheamus laughed as Hornswoggle geared up to take him on.
He ordered Hornswoggle to leave, but he refused and kicked Sheamus in the knee. Hornswoggle clung to the ropes as Sheamus tried to toss him over. Sheamus climbed over the top rope and onto the apron as he again commanded Hornswoggle to get down. Hornswoggle instead pushed Sheamus off and won.
Hornswoggle's Christmas Miracle
Backstage at the holiday party, Ricardo Rodriguez flirted with the Bella Twins as Roddy Piper talked to Dusty Rhodes. They were interrupted by a man in a Santa suit, who everyone assumed was host Mick Foley. He had trouble understanding Hornswoggle as he asked for his wish.
Sheamus explained that Hornswoggle wanted to be able to talk, and Santa gave him his wish with a hug. The newly verbose Hornswoggle got into a shouting match with Vickie Guerrero. When Foley showed up wearing a Cactus Jack shirt, "Santa" mysteriously vanished and a disembodied voice said, "It's a Christmas miracle!", prompting Piper and Rhodes to toss out their punch.
Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan
AJ kissed Daniel Bryan for good luck before he went out to challenge Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match. Bryan tried to escape the cage as soon as the bell rang but Henry halted the attempt. He threw Bryan into the side of the cage and laughed as the show cut to a commercial break.
Henry continued to punish Bryan along the ropes, then applied pressure to his neck and shoulders. Bryan broke free with a kick and Henry knocked him down with a clothesline. Apparently confused about which holiday the show was celebrating, Henry yelled "Happy New Year!" as he called for the referee to open the cage door.
Bryan stopped Henry from leaving, but Henry leveled him with a running clothesline that sent him spiraling through the air. Bryan got back up and focused his attacks on Henry's ankle. He tried to escape again but Henry pulled him down and clotheslined him off the top rope.
Henry limped towards the cage door and Bryan grabbed his ankle. Henry took him down again as the referee closed the door. He lifted Bryan and he wriggled free. A kick put Henry on the mat, and Bryan tried to secure the LeBell Lock. Henry got out but Bryan reversed his attack into an ankle lock.
Henry rolled and tossed Bryan into the corner. Bryan got up and tried to climb out and Henry pulled him down by his tights, exposing his rear briefly. Bryan made repeated attempts to climb over Henry but fell victim to a series of headbutts and the World's Strongest Slam. Henry pinned Bryan and retained his title.
Paul Brown - Paul Ferrell Brown graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1994 with a B.A. in English literature, and completed his M.A. in ...
