PHILADELPHIA -- With less than two weeks until the history-making Vengeance: Night of Champions, the Ultimate Opportunist Edge is doing all he can to protect his World Heavyweight Championship from Batista, while Montel Vontavious Porter faces a new challenger for his United States Championship --SmackDown draftee Ric Flair.

On Friday night, the Rated-R Superstar continued to play mental chess when he took on the veteran Flair in a non-title match. Uniquely, Flair was appearing for the first time in nearly five years on SmackDown, and he has already made an impact, challenging Montel Vontavious Porter to a match at Vengeance: Night of Champions for the U.S. Title. The move certainly has sent Porter reeling, and during the contest, MVP interfered and the two champions looked to dismantle the "Nature Boy." Flair's protégé and former Evolution partner, Batista, came to the ring to assist, but the ever-opportunistic Edge was able to spear his challenger to return the favor from last Friday night. Heading into Vengeance: Night of Champions, Edge has gained momentum in this rivalry for the time being.

Earlier in the night, Batista had built up steam in non-title action against the U.S. Champ MVP, picking up the victory over the ballin' Superstar. The Animal's quest to regain the World Heavyweight Championship has been ongoing since his loss to Undertaker at WrestleMania 23, and he will need to be in top form when he faces Edge in a Last Chance Match for the title. If Batista is unable to defeat Edge on June 24, he will never have another title match while the Rated-R Superstar has the gold around his waist.

Since the announcement of the Last Chance Match, Edge has done everything in his power to sidetrack Batista, hoping to soften his opponent before this epic match takes place. The champion has seemingly smelled blood in the water, just waiting for the right moments to attack and weaken Batista. But with his back against the wall, The Animal has never been more dangerous, knowing this may truly be his last chance to capture the championship.

While Batista and World Heavyweight Champion Edge both are acting out of desperation, United States Champion MVP has always acted on the belief that he is better than the rest. The young Superstar may find himself without the title after Vengeance: Night of Champions when he defends the gold against the 16-time World Champion Ric Flair, who has held the U.S. Title a record five times. And while the ego-driven MVP stayed true to his words about being destined to wear a championship, no event in WWE history has been more suited for the Dirtiest Player in the Game to take that destiny away.