10 Wrestlers Who Were Great By 25

The 3rd generation star joined Triple H’s 4 Horsemen homage, Evolution, soon after his 2002 debut. Boasting great natural ability and athleticism, the 23 year old Orton quickly impressed with his dastardly Legend Killer persona. As a mean spirited youngster out to prove himself, Orton brutalised various talents from yesteryear, most notably Mick Foley. Clearly the pet project of the Evolution stable, fans highly anticipated the day Orton would turn on Triple H.

At Backlash 2004, Orton proved himself the real deal by retaining his Intercontinental Championship against Foley in a blood-soaked hardcore war. Deciding to pull the trigger early, WWE booked Orton to defeat Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2004. At 24, Orton remains the youngest world champ on record in WWE. After an epic promo and rematch against Benoit the next night on RAW, Orton’s booking went drastically downhill when Triple H and the gang turned on him.

While Orton’s babyface story and title run were ultimately handled poorly, Orton’s matches and promos remained first class throughout. Impressive from the get go, Orton remains a key player in WWE to this day.