10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2005 Facts

9. The HHH/Orton Match Was Supposed To Be Held Off Until WrestleMania

Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2005
WWE.com

Once Randy Orton was kicked out of Evolution in the summer of 2004, and he lost the World Heavyweight title to Triple H, it was clear what the long term plans were. Orton would earn a title shot, possibly by winning the Royal Rumble, and vanquish his turncoat boss come WrestleMania Sunday, regaining the gold.

Instead, we got the match at the Royal Rumble, with Helmsley putting away his ex-protege much cleaner than anyone would have guessed. Given that Orton's edginess evaporated throughout the fall months, and that he would be turned heel by mid-March, it's clear that WWE felt "The Legend Killer" needed retooling.

It was also reported at the time that WWE felt that Batista had more immediate marketability, and reconfigured their plans, allowing for Big Dave to get the 'Mania spot instead. Seeing as Orton isn't the one playing Drax the Destroyer, I'd say that was a good call.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.