Randy Orton is set to add to his impressive and expansive SummerSlam resume when he takes on Brock Lesnar.
"The Viper" has faced a who's who of WWE Superstars at the "Biggest Event of the Summer" after making his debut at the WWE's August staple inside the Elimination Chamber in 2003.
Orton is set to battle "The Beast" on Aug. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in what is a marquee match for the ages, but Lesnar isn't the first huge star Orton has taken on at SummerSlam.
Here are Orton's five best opponents at the second-biggest event of the year. To view this article in slideshow form, CLICK START at the top right of this page.
5) Daniel Bryan
This one is a bit of a technicality as "The Beard" wasn't booked to be Orton's opponent, but this match was still very important. After Bryan defeated John Cena to capture the WWE Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, special guest referee Triple H laid him out with a Pedigree. Orton then came down to the ring and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to pin an already injured Bryan and win the title -- kicking off the storyline of The Authority.
4) Chris Benoit
While this is looked on sadly today because of the events that happened at the end of Benoit's life, this match just can't be overlooked. The "Rabid Wolverine" won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX in March 2004 and had a battle with Orton at that year's SummerSlam event, which emanated from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. After a back and forth match, Orton landed the RKO and pinned Benoit to at the time become the youngest World Champion in WWE history.
3) Hulk Hogan
Perhaps no name is more legendary in this industry than Hogan's, and Orton got a chance to truly cement himself as the Legend Killer at the 2006 event, which took place at the TD Garden in Boston. Orton had originally won the match, but it was overturned after the referee discovered Hogan had his foot on the ropes."The Hulkster" who teamed with the likes of Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam's past and grappled with Shawn Michaels the year prior, then hit a leg drop to win the match.
2) The Undertaker
After Orton failed to break the legend of The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania 21 -- a streak that ironically was broken by Orton's SummerSlam opponent Lesnar nine years later -- Orton sought out to kill the legend of The Undertaker at SummerSlam 2005, which emanated from MCI Center in Washington, D.C. With a little help from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, "The Viper" eked out a victory over "The Deadman."
1) John Cena
The face of the franchise will go down as one of the best in the history of the business, and Orton stood toe-to-toe with him twice at SummerSlam. In 2007, the "Apex Predator" fell to the "Cenation" leader at the Continental Arilines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. A match that saw several counters ended when Cena hit what was then called the FU to retain his WWE Championship. Two years later, Orton gained revenge at the Staples Center in L.A. when he retained the very same title against Cena with an RKO following plenty of interference.
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