10 WWE Superstars Randy Orton Has Actually Helped Elevate

5. Seth Rollins

Randy Orton Kofi Kingston
WWE.com

The Authority originally centered around Randy Orton, who the McMahons had handpicked as the face of WWE in the summer of 2013. The focus shifted to Seth Rollins once Orton lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania and Rollins was recruited by Triple H soon after.

Orton lost almost every major match he had from that point forward, so Rollins booting him from the faction that November was only logical. Upon Orton's return to TV, he immediately set his sights on Rollins, kicking off a heated rivalry between the two heading into WrestleMania 31. It was there that Rollins lost to The Viper (albeit in unforgettable fashion) before capturing the WWE title later that night in the main event.

Rollins had held his Money in the Bank briefcase for nearly 10 months at that point, but despite multiple wins over Dean Ambrose, he didn't feel truly ready for the main event scene until his feud with Orton. Their chemistry was always excellent and Rollins' wins over Orton at Extreme Rules and Payback gave him credibility as champion right out of the gate.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.