10 Weird Periods WWE Icons Would Like You To Forget
4. Randy Orton (2015)
Despite the accolades, the accomplishments, the championships and the main events, Randy Orton's career hasn't quite been as legendary as it seems. Has The Legend Killer ever truly been the man? The answer, plain as day, is 'no'. He has been a dependable top-tier superstar who can put on compelling feuds and matches with the right opponent, but his role has arguably been more of a gatekeeper than anything else. Where his great rival John Cena was never out of the main event picture, Orton frequently shuffled down to feud with up and comers, men like Wade Barrett, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.
2015 was a particularly peculiar year for Orton. He started feuding with The Authority, sort of, eventually beating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania with one of history's great RKOs. After that? Well, he unsuccessfully challenged Rollins for his newly-won World Championship before, erm, feuding with Sheamus. Again.
There is no such thing as a good time to get injured, but the shoulder injury that put Orton out of action in late '15 may well have been a blessing in disguise. It removed him from TV for a long while, allowing fresh opponents to move into place. A short feud with Bray Wyatt became a long story that ended in Orton's 13th world title, in a miserable match at WrestleMania 33. Then Jinder Mahal happened. Oh lord, Jinder...