Every Major Randy Orton Feud During WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era, Ranked Worst To Best
[ad_1]
Randy Orton will go down in history as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The 14-time WWE World Champion is a third-generation wrestler, and he exceeded his father and grandfather’s efforts and achievements inside the squared circle. Nevertheless, Orton had a few setbacks in the early stages of his WWE career with injuries, but he bounced back in style, and in early 2003 he was given his first break as a member of Evolution under the tutelage of Triple H and Ric Flair with Batista completing the quartet.
Orton became one of the biggest stars in the Ruthless Aggression Era when he branched out on his own, and 2005 was make or break for Orton, but an epic rivalry got his career back on track. Some of the feuds that Orton was involved in were memorable and helped shape his legendary WWE career.
15 Hulk Hogan
Randy Orton shifted his attention towards Hulk Hogan after he dispatched Dusty Rhodes at The Great American Bash 2006. The Legend Killer was looking to put Hogan away once and for all in their match at SummerSlam 2006.
This match turned out to be the final match in Hogan’s WWE career. Orton should have prevailed, but Hogan triumphed in this short-lived feud to remain unbeaten at the Biggest Party of the Summer.
14 Ric Flair
Evolution betrayed Randy Orton after he won his first World Heavyweight Championship, and Orton naturally feuded with his former stablemates. At Taboo Tuesday 2004, Orton and the Nature Boy headlined the show in a steel cage match.
They had an underrated match with both competitors bleeding profusely. Orton executed the RKO out of nowhere to put Naitch out of his misery. Afterward, Flair extended his hand and the pair shook hands and embraced which was a sign of respect.
13 Shelton Benjamin
Randy Orton had to be cautious of Shelton Benjamin as he was on a roll with victories over Orton’s Evolution colleagues Triple H and Ric Flair n several matches. Furthermore, Orton lost to Benjamin on the May 31, 2004, edition of Raw, which catapulted Benjamin into contention to challenge Orton for the Intercontinental Championship.
13 days later, Orton and Benjamin collided in an Intercontinental Championship match at Bad Blood. They had a decent match, and Orton ensured that the Intercontinental Championship would remain in Evolution.
12 Chris Jericho
Randy Orton was first Chris Jericho’s first major rival when Jericho returned to WWE in November 2007, two years after he departed the company. Orton was the reigning WWE Champion, and he put his gold on the line at Armageddon.
Orton and Jericho had good chemistry together, and Jericho looked set to win the WWE Championship but SmackDown commentator JBL got up from the commentary booth, and he cost Jericho the title. Orton retained by disqualification and that was the end of their brief rivalry.
11 Rob Van Dam
Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Championship at Armageddon 2003 which was Orton’s first singles championship in WWE. However, the pair feuded once again in 2007 before RVD was going to leave the company due to being burnt out.
Orton delivered a sickening Punt Kick to RVD’s head with RVD requiring medical attention. The former World Champions clashed in a Stretcher match at One Night Stand 2007 with RVD narrowly winning. Orton was seething, and he attacked RVD after the bout had come to an end.
10 Edge
Edge moved from SmackDown to Raw in the 2004 draft lottery, and Edge recovered from his major neck surgery. Edge was on a rampage, and he challenged Orton for the Intercontinental Championship at Vengeance 2004.
Orton and Edge had a superb contest, and Edge ended Orton’s 210-day Intercontinental Championship reign. Orton had a rematch but he failed to defeat Edge for the title. However, they put their differences aside in 2006 and they formed a tag team called Rated-RKO, where they would capture the World Tag Team Championship.
9 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy found himself in World Championship contention after he defeated Triple H in a number one contender’s match for the WWE Championship at Armageddon 2007. Hardy, was the reigning Intercontinental Champion and he was looking to become a double champion.
Surprisingly, Orton challenged Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship before their Royal Rumble clash for the WWE Championship. Their Intercontinental Championship match lasted a matter of seconds but a brawl ensured with Hardy executing a Swanton Bomb off the top of the stage. Their rivalry proved that Hardy could hang with the big boys but Orton retained the WWE Championship at the 2008 Royal Rumble.
8 Rey Mysterio
Randy Orton was tantalizingly close to winning the 2006 Royal Rumble match, but he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. The Legend Killer refused to accept that he would not be challenging for a World Title at WrestleMania 22, and he goaded Mysterio to put his World Title opportunity at stake at No Way Out 2006.
Orton’s plans worked and he defeated Mysterio to punch his ticket to WrestleMania 22. SmackDown GM Teddy Long reinstated Mysterio back into the match, and Kurt Angle defended the World Heavyweight Championship against both Orton and Mysterio. It was a good match, and Orton took the fall with Mysterio becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.
7 Kurt Angle
Randy Orton and Kurt Angle are good friends in real life as are their current wives. However, Orton and the Olympic Gold Medalist had a brief feud in 2006. Angle was the biggest acquisition for ECW, and he defeated Orton at ECW One Night Stand 2006, and Orton was subjected to a hostile crowd.
They had a rematch at Vengeance 2006, and Orton got the win over Angle. It was Angle’s final major feud before he departed WWE for TNA.
6 D-Generation X
Randy Orton sided with fellow former World Champion Edge as Rated-RKO and they had common enemies in D-Generation X’s Triple H and Shawn Michaels. This was a remarkable rivalry between four main eventers, and at Cyber Sunday 2006, Rated-RKO defeated DX with Eric Bischoff as the special guest referee.
Orton and Edge weren’t laughing at Survivor Series 2006 though as their team was clean swept by DX in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match. Nevertheless, their rivalry ended prematurely with Triple H tearing his quad in their World Tag Team Championship match at New Year’s Revolution 2007.
5 Shawn Michaels
Randy Orton was a member of Evolution, and he began to feud with Shawn Michaels. At Unforgiven 2003, they collided in a “Legend vs. Legend Killer” match. With Ric Flair handing Orton some brass knuckles, the Legend Killer scored a huge win over the Heartbreak Kid.
Orton got the better of Michaels once again in their traditional Survivor Series elimination match in 2003 with his Evolution stablemate Batista bailing him out of trouble. Moreover, Orton and Michaels feuded in 2007 over the WWE Championship, and Orton executed the RKO on Michaels at Survivor Series to retain the title.
4 Mick Foley
The rivalry between Randy Orton and Mick Foley aided Orton’s ascension into becoming a World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam 2004. Nevertheless, Orton knocked Foley down a flight of stairs at Madison Square Garden in late 2003, and Foley eliminated Orton from the 2004 Royal Rumble match.
Evolution defeated the reunited Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection at WrestleMania 20 in Orton’s WrestleMania debut. Orton continued to get the better of Foley by retaining the Intercontinental Championship, which was an afterthought in their No Holds Barred, Falls Count Anywhere match at Backlash 2004, which was a violent bout.
3 The Undertaker
Randy Orton’s babyface run failed, and he turned in early 2005 when he dumped Stacy Keibler. Orton began feuding with The Undertaker for the majority of the year, and Orton failed to end Undertaker’s unbeaten streak at WrestleMania 21 with Undertaker going 13-0.
Orton moved from Raw to SmackDown in the summer of 2005, and they had a rematch at SummerSlam with Orton victorious. At No Mercy, Undertaker lost a handicap match to Orton and his father Cowboy Bob, and they set the casket on fire afterward.
2 John Cena
Randy Orton and John Cena were both part of WWE’s OVW class of 2002, but they were rivals five years later clashing over the WWE Championship with Cena defeating Orton at SummerSlam 2007 to retain the gold in a competitive main event.
Orton punted Cena’s dad to the head, and they had a rematch at Unforgiven 2007 with Cena getting himself intentionally disqualified. Their rivalry was put on hold with Cena tearing his pec, but Cena won the 2008 Royal Rumble match and he faced Orton for the WWE Title at No Way Out 2008. Orton got disqualified to keep his WWE Title intact, but Orton defeated both Cena and Triple H to retain the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 24. Cena and Orton’s feud was remarkable, and it continued into the PG Era.
1 Triple H
Triple H could not contain his jealousy when Randy Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at SummerSlam 2004. Orton was booted out of Evolution, and he turned face in his feud with Triple H. Orton’s World Heavyweight Championship reign only lasted a month as he dropped the title to the Game at Unforgiven 2004.
Their feud was one-sided in the early stages with Triple H winning the World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at New Year’s Revolution 2005, and he retained the World Heavyweight Title at the 2005 Royal Rumble. Orton and Triple H reignited their singles feud in late 2007 over the WWE Championship with the pair beating each other for the title at No Mercy. Ultimately, Triple H regained the WWE Championship from Orton at Backlash, and he won their subsequent rematches at Judgment Day and One Night Stand.
[ad_2]
Source link
