10 WWE Matches That Were Meant To Be Epic (But Failed Miserably)
6. Randy Orton vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 25)
There were legitimate questions heading into WrestleMania 25 when it was made apparent that Triple H and Randy Orton would be renewing their rivalry. In the past, they had neither been able to put together an epic feud or an epic match, yet they were being given the chance to revisit what had, to that point, been very average on the grandest stage of all. Ortons sadistic Viper character helped take care of increasing the quality of the storyline. He was utterly outstanding in 2009, accentuating the details of the modern villain as well as any superstar in the last decade. Triple H, notoriously lousy in the role of the badass babyface, found something within himself that played off of Orton quite well. It was RKO who carried the build-up, taking out each member of the McMahon family, but Trips was convincing as the hero. The match at Mania 25 was by no means as terrible as some have suggested. Yet, considering the heat on it throughout the months of February and March, the April payoff was incredibly underwhelming. To be the main-event of WrestleMania and lay a heatless egg was the sports entertainment equivalent to the 2014 NBA Finals rematch between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat a saga rich with juicy plot points and historical footnotes that ended with a resounding thud. Orton blamed it on the stipulation, which was a curious decision. Triple H (not for the first time) argued that he had an impossible match to follow, despite the fact that the other World title match in between it and Taker vs. HBK did just fine. Excuses aside, it just was not all it was cracked up to be.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
