"The Viper" and "The Beast" are on a collision course for SummerSlam.
Randy Orton will take on Brock Lesnar at "The Biggest Event of the Summer" on Aug. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It's a marquee match for the WWE and an inter-promotional clash as Orton represents "SmackDown Live" and Lesnar is an entity of "Monday Night RAW."
Lesnar has been on a tear through the WWE ever since ending The Streak of The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX back in April 2014 and has dominated the likes of Triple H, John Cena and CM Punk -- among others. Though it's not like Orton is a bigger threat than those three, he does have the striking offense that makes him a believable foil for Lesnar.
Whether it takes outside interference or other means, the WWE should consider putting Orton over. Here are three reasons why Orton should defeat Lesnar at SummerSlam.
1) Negative Publicity
The WWE went out on a limb and allowed Lesnar to return to the Octagon for a return fight against Mark Hunt and in return, they had to take the defensive after he got popped for a failed USDA doping test. "The Beast" put the WWE in the unenviable position of having to explain why he never failed a test for them.
Dean Ambrose also noted on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's podcast that Lesnar was difficult to work with during the lead up to WrestleMania 32 and only cares about himself. He even went as far as to call him "lazy." Lesnar has stated that he doesn't care much about the business, so why should he keep getting rewarded? Sure he's a draw, but he can lose every now and then.
2) 'SmackDown' Supremacy
The first time the WWE did a brand extension, the company leaned heavier toward "Monday Night RAW" than "SmackDown." The Blue Brand was seen as the "B" show back then, but now that the company has opted to have it go live, there's a new chance to put "SmackDown" on the map.
Though the winner of this match won't exactly make a huge difference in brand supremacy in the long run, it could show that it's a new day for "SmackDown Live" by giving the brand the first big advantage in this high-profile, inter-promotional match.
3) Part-Time Problems
A win for Lesnar doesn't really do much going forward from a storyline standpoint. It's likely that Paul Heyman's client will once again go on one of his hiatuses shortly after SummerSlam. If Lesnar earns a huge win just to disappear, what's the point of the whole program? It's possible the two could have an extended feud, but given Lesnar's past, it seems doubtful. If that were to happen, there might be a gap between bouts.
"The Viper," meanwhile, could use this win to catapult himself into the face of "SmackDown" by gaining a huge victory over his adversary and moving on to big things on the Blue Brand.
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