Randy Orton has positioned himself as WWE's top heel in recent months. 

We saw The Viper go to a dark place during his feud with Edge, tormenting the Rated-R Superstar on a weekly basis, all the way from the Royal Rumble to Backlash.   

If it wasn't for the Hall of Famer picking up a serious triceps injury, the plan would have reportedly seen the pair continue their storyline until SummerSlam.  

With Edge now on the shelf - potentially for the rest of the year - Orton needs a new opponent going forward. 

He's got so much momentum right now and is one of WWE's biggest draws, so he needs to be on the card for one of the biggest PPV's of the year. 

But who could he meet at SummerSlam?

According to Louis Dangoor of WrestleTalk and Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, Orton has pitched to face two NXT stars - Adam Cole and Tomasso Ciampa. 

Cole and Ciampa have been earmarked by Orton

Both would be brilliant opponents for Orton, you'd think - and fans would certainly love to see an NXT star on the SummerSlam card. 

However, according to Dangoor's report, the plan may be to have Randy feud with Drew McIntyre instead. 

Plans for The Viper will surely unravel in the coming weeks. 

Orton could face McIntyre at SummerSlam

If he does end up facing someone from NXT, fans already have an appetite for Orton vs Ciampa, following a public spat the pair had on social media last month. 

The Viper started the beef by mocking developmental stars for slapping their legs during matches to make noise for kicks.

"Heard NXT TakeOver In Your House was great! Slappin' my leg for you guys. Sincerely #legslap." 

Orton has already been going back and forth with Ciampa

Ciampa didn't take too kindly to Orton's words, firing back:

"My daughter has been having trouble sleeping. Luckily I found a remedy. Randy Orton matches. Better than NyQuil. Sincerely #AnEntireLockerRoomWhoBustedTheirAsses."

The RAW star then further laid into Ciampa, writing: 

"Looks like I hurt the feelings of the self-appointed locker room leader of a wrestling school. Let me know what time #legslap class starts so I can take my game to the next level." 

Ciampa and Orton exchanged words on social media

Will WWE give us a match between the pair as soon as SummerSlam? We can only hope. 

But what about Cole? It certainly seems possible he could face Orton too.

The leader of Undisputed Era lost his NXT Championship to Keith Lee on Wednesday, perhaps suggesting that a main roster call up is imminent. 

Cole could be in line for a call up

Edge may be out of SummerSlam, but in Ciampa, Cole or even McIntyre, Orton could well steal the show anyway. All three would no doubt be fantastic matches.