Randy Orton was hand-picked to be a star in 2003, but he was an unproven commodity. His pre-produced RNN vignettes were the only occasions where he had shown any charisma, and despite winning the Intercontinental Championship, he didn't have many good matches to his name. As "The Legend Killer," a young upstart who would attack heroes of the ring, many felt that his push exceeded his ability. Orton seemed to have bitten off more than he could chew when he picked a feud with Mick Foley, but at WrestleMania XX, Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair defeated Foley and The Rock. Orton pinned Foley and it looked like, once again, the Intercontinental Champion was being handed success on a platter. However, when Foley became Cactus Jack once again and challenged Orton to a hardcore match, it looked like "The Legend Killer" would have to deliver or die. Orton delivered. The match was as brutal as Cactus Jack's bout with Triple H, but it was Orton who took more damage - including one infamous spot where he attempted an RKO on Cactus Jack and was shoved off, landing in a pile of thumbtacks that lodged themselves in his back. In the end, Orton won the match with another RKO, and his performance proved he belonged with the best.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
