The main storyline on the SmackDown! brand was between The Great Khali and Batista over the World Heavyweight Championship. On the July 6 episode of "SmackDown!", Khali issued an open challenge for a match at The Great American Bash, which was accepted by Batista later that night. On "SmackDown!" the following week, the match between Khali and Batista was made official after a contract signing. That same night, then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge, who was scheduled to face Kane for the title at The Great American Bash, suffered a legitimate injury—a left pectoral muscle tear—after Kane interrupted his Mardi Gras style celebration. On the July 20 episode of "SmackDown!", Edge was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship due to the severity of his injury. He later commented-