The entire point of 2008 into 2009 was to make Randy Orton look like the biggest star in the history of the industry. Despite repetitive matchups and the act that he looks like he's doing long division in his head when staring out into the crowd, Orton had the proverbial rocket strapped to his back in 2008. He led his own stable known as Legacy alongside Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes. Once the Royal Rumble rolled around, it looked as though Orton would be the clear winner. Naturally, the Rumble started off strong with the token midcard guys working a good series of spots before it started getting bogged down by the usual "giants" towards the middle. Along the way, Orton united with Rhodes and DiBiase and fought off basically the entire roster. While WWE should be given credit for actually weaving a storyline into the Rumble, the entire thing was completely predictable and was really hurt by the lack of star power past entrant number 15. After Big Show entered at #30, it morphed into a standard battle royal and all the drama was completely sucked out of the arena. The final four consisted of Orton, DiBiase, Rhodes, and Triple H. Honestly, if you couldn't see the finish coming from a mile away then you had no business being a wrestling fan. Triple H managed to dump the two henchmen but Orton eliminated Hunter immediately after and earned a trip to Wrestlemania, ending a rather dull and lackluster Royal Rumble. As has been the case in recent years, Orton completely choked away his Wrestlemania opportunity, losing to Triple H in the main event of Wrestlemania XXV in a match that was far overshadowed by the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels bout.
