10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 21 Facts
3. Triple H Vs. Randy Orton Was The Original Main Event
When Orton was booked to win the World Heavyweight title from Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004, the Polaroid of WrestleMania 21 quickly faded into view: the nefarious Triple H would be envious of his protege winning the gold, and would excommunicate him from Evolution, giving Orton cause to seek revenge on his tyrannical ex-mentor.
Orton had been earning cheers as a "cool heel" for some time, and WWE took this as the cue to rush his face turn. Twenty-four hours after winning the belt, Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista beat an unsuspecting Orton down. Everything was happening too fast, and the qualities that made Orton stand out quickly evaporated during his run as a tightly-scripted babyface avenger.
Batista's face turn was handled far better, as fans grew to love him for his subtle attempts to undermine Triple H's arrogance and authority. That, and Batista looked like born main eventer in sunglasses and pinstripe-suits. While Orton, who fans eventually cooled on, was rushed into a Royal Rumble loss to Triple H, WWE got it right with "Big Dave", setting him up for the main event instead.