10 Wrestlers Who SECRETLY Elevated The Stars

A slight variation on a theme here, as it’s tough to know who, initially, was supposed to be elevating whom. The idea behind Evolution was to give two rising stars shine and tutelage (and Ric Flair his mojo back). With Randy Orton and Batista both genuine megastars, there’s no arguing it worked.

In Orton’s case, though, his shaky booking means that the star who was really elevated was his opponent, Triple H. The Viper was the first to break from Evolution, becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion (in part to spite the departed Brock Lesnar) and turning face.

This - the latter part especially - was a mistake. Orton’s star was on the rise, no doubt, but he wasn’t ready for the belt, certainly not in the unnaturally fitting babyface role. What this gave, though, was an exciting talent for HHH to beat, taking the strap in short order at the next PPV.

None of this did Orton any harm, and he’d quickly transition to a great feud with The Undertaker, but the momentum of the face turn and title win was swiftly gobbled up by then-perennial champion Triple H - which was, perhaps, the plan all along.