PREVIEW: World Heavyweight Champion Christian vs. Randy Orton (No Holds Barred)

At SummerSlam, World Heavyweight Champion Christian will attempt to cool the intense heat of his No. 1 contender Randy Orton in a brutal No Holds Barred Match for the World Title.

The epic showdown was created by WWE’s new Chief Operating Officer Triple H on the July 29 edition of SmackDown(watch), in the midst of a sea of controversy surrounding the circumstances by which Christian captured his second World Title from The Viper at WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

But, ultimately, the fuse for the explosive rivalry between Christian and Randy Orton was lit just five days after Christian fulfilled a lifelong dream, winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at Extreme Rules. Before his reign could even get off the ground, Randy Orton pinned his shoulders to the mat on the very next SmackDown and shattered his whole world. WWE’s Apex Predator then defeated his prey again in a hard-fought rematch at WWE Capitol Punishment.

Over the next several weeks, Christian’s inability to recover the illustrious title started to eat away at him. Already convinced that he could beat The Viper, he began to believe that SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, Orton and even the WWE Universe were ultimately preventing him from reclaiming what was rightfully his.

Refusing to speak directly to the WWE Universe any longer, the resentful Christian soon enlisted the help of lawyers to correct what he believed was an unlevel playing field. This led to a special condition in the contract for his World Heavyweight Championship Match with Orton at Money in the Bank: If Orton was disqualified, Christian would automatically be awarded the title.

Once such a stipulation was in place, controversy seemed inevitable. And when Christian spat in the face of his adversary during their pay-per-view battle, Orton would be unable to stop his uncontrollable rage. Hitting his No.1 contender with a low blow, The Viper was immediately disqualified. And regardless of what the stunned WWE Universe thought, Christian once again held the title in his grasp.

No matter how Christian won the World Heavyweight Championship, no one can deny his tremendous ability in the ring. But, with no a disqualification clause to stand behind, can he overcome the uncontainable anger of Randy Orton at the Biggest Event of the Summer? Find out at SummerSlam, Sunday Aug. 14 at 8/4 PT, only on pay-per-view.