12 Biggest WWE Storylines Ever (And How You Never Saw Them Coming)

5. Randy Orton's Push Is Not Randy Orton's Push

WrestleMania 21 saw a double main event definitively anoint two brand new stars atop WWE as both John Cena and Dave Batista won the the top titles on the respective brands. Having opened the 'Show Of Shows' a year prior, Cena had been primed for the position for sometime. SmackDown's 'Animal' was more of an extremely happy accident.

A key feature on Raw as part of Evolution, there always appeared something of a ceiling above Batista's lofty frame, not least due to the company he kept. Randy Orton had the youth Big Dave lacked, Triple H was the muscled top heavyweight on Monday Night Raw, whilst Ric Flair's charisma didn't particularly appear to pass itself along during their time as a tag team.

Triple H's "thumbs down" gesture the night after Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2004 may as well have been the click of finger. A babyface was made just like *that*, but it wasn't the 'Legend Killer'. With neither temperament or tenure to survive Triple H's politics, the much-younger Randy was swallowed whole by a pathetic switch. He lost his title within a month, failed in his every attempt to win it back, and had to turn heel before the WrestleMania once earmarked for his ascent.

Instead, Batista had spent every television appearance eyeballing the belt he knew he was capable of keeping. An organic rift formed between mentor and student that resulted in a feud that cemented Batista's headliner status forever. 'The Viper' waited years for his second slither up the ladder.