6. Randy Orton - Street Fight For The Intercontinental Championship vs. Cactus Jack - Backlash 2004
Eight years after his own breakout performance against Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley donned the black and yellow of Cactus Jack to battle "Legend Killer" Randy Orton in a Street Fight for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Backlash 2004. The match had been nearly a year in the making, the sole purpose of which was to put the third-generation star over as the future of the industry. Orton, to his credit, rose to the occasion, holding his own against the legendary performer in a series of promos and segments that really added gasoline to what was already a raging fire. Much was expected of Orton at Backlash and, as he did throughout the program, he delivered in spades. The pretty boy member of Evolution, Orton survived a shirtless bump onto hundreds of thumbtacks, not to mention all of the other pain and punishment that comes along with a street fight, to defeat Cactus Jack and retain his title. It was a star-making performance that validated WWE Creative's insistence in pushing Orton as the next big thing, even if his own backstage antics and personal demons threatened to unravel everything that had been done to make him a star. At least until he sobered up in 2008.
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.
