5. Randy Orton
When Randy Orton rose to prominence as part of the Evolution stable, the WWE made no secret of the fact that he was being groomed for world championships. An amazing run as "the Legend Killer" in 2003 to 2004 enabled him to get wins against high-profile legends such as Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley which helped establish him as a guy who could one day lead the company. By this point, Stone Cold and The Rock had left, and still burned from their failed attempts at forcing the matter when Hogan left, this time WWE tried to let it play out naturally. Or as naturally as wrestling can get. John Cena was fast becoming their top star, but Orton was getting reactions too. At SummerSlam 2004, Randy was given the honour of being the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion at only 24, at the same pay-per-view that John Cena was defended his United States Championship, a clear sign that Orton was being positioned ahead of Cena in their "next big star" ranks. After his title win, Orton was turned face to feud with Triple H and Evolution so he could make that final push towards becoming a Top Guy, but it didn't really take with the fans. He was over as a face at this point, but never quite to the extent that the WWE expected. Now, Orton is a legitimate top-tier talent in WWE, trusted to be the guy to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships late in 2013. Interestingly though, he was only ever able to cement his position as a lasting major player in the company after being used as foil for the man who truly forced himself into the role of Top Guy: John Cena.