10 Most Rebellious Anti-Heroes In WWE History
7. Randy Orton
From clean-cut rookie to all-out psychopath, Randy Orton has played a number of roles throughout his WWE tenure. The seeds were planted with the “Legend Killer” character that solidified Orton’s status as a top-tier WWE talent, and portrayed him as a cocky young buck who, more often than not, failed to realise when he’d gone too far when beating down the company’s legends.
Things escalated when Triple H kicked Orton out of Evolution: an act that Orton’s mental state has never truly recovered from. Though he’s often flip-flopped between face and heel, Orton has committed some terrible, bloodthirsty acts against his fellow WWE superstars. Punting McMahons in the head, spitting in faces, pushing people down staircases, kissing an unconscious Stephanie McMahon: Orton’s done them all, and at the height of his powers, WWE fans loved him for it.
Ironically, Orton’s positive crowd responses tend to grow when he’s working heel. His persona tends to get watered down as a babyface, as seen in his current run on SmackDown, and he’s at his best when allowed to go full sociopath on the opposition. As cruel and violent as anyone else on the roster, Orton treads his own path, draws his own line in the sand and stands-out as the PG Era’s foremost anti-hero.