WWE Champion Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (August 15, 2010 SUMMERSLAM)

Legend has it that around 400 A.D., Saint Patrick used his charms and powers of persuasion to drive all the snakes out of Ireland and into the sea. Unfortunately for WWE Champion Sheamus, The Viper, Randy Orton, has never been one to surrender quite so willingly.

Truth be told, the Irishman will have his hands full when he battles Orton in a WWE Championship Match at SummerSlam. While Sheamus attempts to retain his second WWE Championship, The Apex Predator has his flickering eyes hoping for his sixth.

For each Superstar, the path to a WWE Title Match has proven demanding. Sheamus was forced to best John Cena at Money in the Bank in a controversial Steel Cage Match that witnessed the meddling influence of The Nexus. Meanwhile, Orton earned his opportunity by defeating Edge and Chris Jericho in a punishing Triple Threat Match on Raw. The common thread between these two competitors being that each appears to straddle the tenuous line between aggression and transgression.

In the end, though, The Viper offers his opponent a thorny set of challenges as slithery and unpredictable as any in WWE history. And while Sheamus may appear as fair and alabaster as his beloved cliffs of Dover, he’s also just as rugged and unforgiving – and leaves Orton with a task equally as steep.