10 Biggest WWE Developmental Success Stories
9. Randy Orton
Divisive to the extreme before a recent Twitter war, Randy Orton is either an in-house triumph or the very symbol of everything wrong with WWE's homogonised style.
Last month's social media furore saw Orton embroiled in a battle with Bully Ray and others about the virtues of particular wrestling styles. 'The Viper' took to the cause in defence of a derivative tweet by his former trainer Rip Rogers that criticised the somewhat formulaic pattern attached to the modern day indie match.
As the polar opposite to the genre, the 'Apex Predator' was ideally placed to extol the virtues of a slow and steady pace, but instead reverted to big leaguing the dissenters, leaning on well-worn cliches about WWE's bursting attendances and his own vast wealth to prove his point.
And this, ultimately is what cannot be debated about Orton. Underneath John Cena (and to a lesser extent, Dave Batista), he remains one of the company's most well-positioned performers.
Though his chinlock reliance remains a comical point of contention, he can now toast 15 years on the main roster, 13 World/WWE Title reigns and a handful of genuinely great matches. For a star that nearly lost his job multiple times in his early years, his Hall of Fame status is assured.