Though Randy Orton is one of the two biggest stars in professional wrestling now, it is the success he achieved early in his career that earned him a spot on this list. Tapped by Triple H and Ric Flair to be one of the faces of WWE's future way back in 2002, Orton overcame early injuries to climb the ladder in WWE, becoming the centerpiece of Team Bischoff at the 2003 Survivor Series in one of the featured matches of that event. Just one year into his main roster stint, he found himself fighting for the job of one of wrestling's most despised stars, a bloodied and battered Shawn Michaels the only person standing between he and the biggest win of his career. As it turned out, it was his ability to capitalize on interference from both Bischoff and Batista that led him to victory. A year later, Orton was in a very different place than he was previously. He was a babyface, the top young star in the business and the leader of a team consisting of Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Maven. All eyes were on him as he attempted to recover from what had been a shaky few months as the lead hero on Raw, battling Triple H, Batista, Edge and Snitsky in the night's marquee bout. Orton was good, very good even, as he eliminated both Edge and Triple H to win the bout. For the first time in his push to the top of the card, he was allowed to beat Triple H clean. A year later, however, he returned to his much more natural heel state, captaining Team SmackDown to victory over Team Raw via a second pinfall over Michaels. WWE had the opportunity to create something special with Orton's sole survivor streak but sacrificed it in favor of a clean sweep by Team DX over Team Rated RKO at the 2006 event.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
