What was once a boyhood dream to capture the World Title has now transformed into a destructive obsession. And after turning his back on his loyal Peeps, a jaded Christian prepares to battle World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton at WWE Capitol Punishment.
Christian tasted ultimate glory for a brief moment in time, only to have it snatched away as quickly as it had entered his grasp. Just five days after he captured the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in a heroic match with Alberto Del Rio at Extreme Rules, GM Theodore Long and the WWE Universe chose Randy Orton to face him in his first title defense on SmackDown. Later that night, The Viper reigned supreme over the new champion, crushing his lifelong dream without warning.
The two Superstars would then face-off in a championship rematch at WWE Over the Limit. But, in a classic bout that could have gone either way, WWE’s Apex Predator once again triumphed, leaving Christian to pick up the pieces. Still, the hard-fought battle made one thing clear to the defeated grappler: He knew he could beat Randy Orton.
Competing in a World Title No. 1 Contender’s Match against Sheamus and Mark Henry the following week on SmackDown, Christian had The Celtic Warrior pinned. But, because the referee was busy getting Orton out of the ring – after The Viper executed a retaliatory RKO on Henry – he could not make the official three-count. Moments later, Sheamus delivered the big boot and captured the victory instead, once more ripping away Christian’s hope of facing Orton at the top of the mountain.
When Orton faced Sheamus for the championship one week later, Teddy Long made Christian the special guest referee. That proved to be too much for Captain Charisma to take. Moments after Orton retained, Christian stunned the WWE Universe, attacking him with the World Title.
The next week, the resentment-driven Christian renounced his association with his Peeps and made a title match with The Viper. He then attacked Orton yet again, allowing Sheamus to capture a non-title victory over the World Heavyweight Champion.
An explosive showdown is coming to Washington D.C. Will Christian’s aggressive campaign win him the high office of World Heavyweight Champion? Or will Randy Orton’s RKO veto send him running back to the hill? Find out at Capitol Punishment, Sunday June 19 at 8/7 CT, only on pay-per-view.
