10 Things We Learned From Randy Orton On Stone Cold's Broken Skull Sessions Podcast
7. A Random In-Ring Drill Led To Evolution
Most young workers will have a tale or two about trying to impress their peers, and Randy is no different. Back in 2002, he was working on some submission drills with a fellow (unnamed) rookie when he spotted Triple H stalking the ringside area. Trying to impress 'The Game', Orton sold his ass off.
It worked.
He "turned it up" and reached for the ropes like a man dying of thirst might for water. Later, someone (again unnamed) came up to him backstage and said WWE were thinking of putting him with Trips and Ric Flair in a new group; Batista, who'd round out Evolution, wasn't in the conversation quite yet (neither, for the record, was original stable-mate Mark Jindrak)
Hunter went on to tell Randy that he was taken with his selling abilities. That, rather unbelievably, earned him a slot in one of the best factions WWE has ever created. Orton can scarcely believe his pandering worked to this day.