Randy Orton to face former WWE World Heavyweight Champion after 12 years at SummerSlam? Possibility explored 

Randy Orton has an opponent to clash against at the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event in Drew McIntyre. After what went down on SmackDown this week, The Viper and McIntyre will settle their differences at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 12.

Randy Orton was engaged in a verbal segment with Cody Rhodes on SmackDown when McIntyre returned after nearly a month and a half's absence. The Scottish Warrior, as usual, tried to insult both Orton and Rhodes, calling both men pathetic. He also called The Viper weak for allowing Cody Rhodes to do what he did. And before the Scottish Psychopath could continue with his rant, he was given an RKO. McIntyre reached out to SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and demanded a match against Orton, which he got for Saturday Night's Main Event.

However, SummerSlam is also scheduled to take place next month, and Orton's opponent hasn't been decided yet. There are chances that The Apex Predator can clash against a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, at the PLE. But why will Orton and Punk have a clash when there has been no ongoing story between the two superstars? The match could happen as both The Viper and The Second City Saint were denied fair chances at the Undisputed WWE Championship in their respective bouts against John Cena in the recent past.

Orton didn't get a fair shot against Cena at Backlash, after the 17-time World Champion used his title to hit The Viper when the referee was out. Similarly, Punk's match against The Franchise Player was hijacked by Seth Rollins and his men, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. These were both billed as the respective superstars' last clashes against The Last Real Champion, who retires at the end of this year.

Therefore, the General Managers of RAW and SmackDown can make the match between Orton and Punk official at SummerSlam, with a stipulation that the winner gets to face Cody Rhodes or John Cena for the title after SummerSlam.

Interestingly, if this match gets announced, it would be Randy Orton and Punk coming against each other in a singles match after 12 long years. The last time these two fought against each other was in 2013 on Monday Night RAW, and the match ended in a no-contest. Another big match between the two legends would be a feast for the fans.

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Randy Orton revealed he used to get panic attacks before he returned in 2023

Randy Orton has had a long struggle with injuries in his wrestling career, and they have also affected his mental health. Orton recently revealed that before he returned at Survivor Series: WarGames in 2023, he used to suffer from bouts of panic attacks at night, owing to his fragile mental health during his time on the shelf.

During a recent interview with Stephanie McMahon on What's Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, he revealed how his injuries impacted his mental health and how he slowly managed to overcome them.

"I didn't know if I could do this job anymore, even after I came back. I started to just like... my head was going [rotates his finger above his head]. It was like playing out all the scenarios, worst case. It was trying to go to bed at night and then not being able to lay down in bed because my mind would start going, and then all of a sudden I'd get hot and I'd have to get out of bed. Everyone's asleep in the house, and I'm out like walking around our yard, taking deep breaths. I met an amazing doctor, and she gave me pages and pages of information on how to deal with panic attacks and stuff," Randy Orton said. [20:13 - 20:55]

Check out his comments in the video below:

He further revealed that it's been more than six months since he had needed to take his medicines, and he was doing fine.

Randy Orton is already a 14-time World Champion, and no doubt, he will be looking to win at least two more WWE Championships to get close to Cena's record. We'll wait and watch if this happens or not.