DALLAS -- Edge held his aching jaw and paced, muttering to himself and shaking his head.

The World Heavyweight Champion's teeth were rattled by a right uppercut from Kane, his surprise guest on The Cutting Edge. Earlier that night, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long had granted Edge's request to have the night off from in-ring action, but told him that he would have his "biggest guest ever" on his talk show. Long refused to tell an intrigued Edge who his guest was, and the champion was stunned when Kane's pyro erupted and the Big Red Machine lumbered down to the ring.

Edge's fortune only went from bad to worse when Long announced that he would defend his championship against the Big Red Machine at The Great American Bash on July 22. The Rated-R Superstar could only mutter some Rated-R words to himself as he thought about his looming championship defense. Given his recent success against Batista, he doesn't even think he should have to get in the ring with Kane.

"Obviously, somebody is out to get me -- Teddy Long, maybe Vickie Guerrero, maybe Kristal, for that matter," Edge told WWE.com. "I don't know what else I can do. I just got through a hellacious trilogy with Batista. I defeated Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship, and now you're throwing Kane at me? Kane, who I actually have a long history with, and who's not exactly fond of me. So, from the Big Red Machine [and on], what else could you possibly do to me?"

Edge clearly hasn't forgotten about the battles he and Kane had in 2005, and neither has the sadistic monster. He said only four words during his appearance on The Cutting Edge -- "I -- DON'T -- LIKE -- YOU" -- before sending the Rated-R Superstar scurrying with a thunderous right hand.

Back in 2005, Edge and Kane waged a personal war that revolved around Lita, former Women's Champion and one-time paramour of both men. When the red-headed Diva betrayed Kane and left him for Edge, that launched a series of Street Fights, Cage Matches, and other encounters that left a trail of blood and broken bones. Though Kane overwhelmed Edge with his power, the Rated-R Superstar seemed to always find a way to outsmart him. And Edge continued to follow that pattern after he eked past Kane, winning the WWE Championship twice and then the World Heavyweight Championship.

This time around with Kane, the stakes are higher. However, Edge believes the outcome will be the same.

"I must survive this -- I will survive this," he said. "Kane may be 7 feet tall, he may be 326 pounds. He may be this disfigured tortured monster. He may be all these things. But I am the Rated-R Superstar. You can call me the Ultimate Opportunist; I may be that, too. What that means is I will outsmart Kane."

Edge heard our fans roar -- and could envision Long doing his trademark shimmy-shimmy -- when his Great American Bash match was announced. His eyes widened as the Big Red Monster laughed upon learning about his championship opportunity. He is aware that many people will enjoy seeing Kane bounce him around the ring. Edge has one message for his doubters: Get ready to eat your words.

"Everyone will doubt me. Everyone will think that Kane will eat my lunch," Edge said, massaging his World Heavyweight Championship. "But when the match is over, I will walk out with my World Heavyweight Championship, continuing the Rated-R era, and everyone will have to eat crow."

Edge better be careful -- he could end up eating crow himself. Since his return after a brief absence, Kane has seemed more focused. When he pinned MVP in a non-title match, some insiders thought he would target the United States Champion. But the Big Red Machine has his eyes on a bigger prize. Behind his sadistic tendencies and demented laugh, it is easy to forget that Kane is one of WWE's most decorated Superstars. In his nearly 10 years in WWE, Undertaker's younger brother has held the WWE Championship, Intercontinental Championship and the World Tag Team Championship multiple times with several different partners.

That's okay, says Edge. Kane's championship résumé will only make the Rated-R Superstar's victory at The Great American Bash that much sweeter. The World Heavyweight Champion is out to silence his naysayers and prove that he is the best. And if you don't believe it, just ask him.

"I've defeated every top name there is to beat in this industry," he said. "You can go down the list: I've defeated Triple H. I've defeated Shawn Michaels. I've defeated Randy Orton. I've defeated John Cena. I've defeated Undertaker. I've defeated Batista. I've defeated Ric Flair. Look at the history books. … Let me ask you this: How does one win 12 World Tag Team Championships (which is a record, by the way), five Intercontinental Championships, a U.S. Championship, and [be a] two-time Money in the Bank? You don't do that by accident. You don't do that by just being the smartest. You do that by being the best."

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