10 WWE Superstars Randy Orton Has Actually Helped Elevate
3. Jinder Mahal
There was no reason for Jinder Mahal to ever be elevated to the main event scene in the first place, but that didn't stop Randy Orton from going above and beyond in making Mahal look as legitimate and as credible as possible.
Orton's last world title reign to date was ended by Mahal at Backlash 2017 in shocking fashion. The Modern-Day Maharaja hadn't been the number one contender to the WWE Championship for more than a month, yet WWE didn't hesitate to rush him into that top spot. Beating Orton was huge for him and immediately sent the message that the company was serious about his push.
Not only did Orton give Mahal his moment at Backlash, he continued to put him over on the next two pay-per-views, Money in the Bank and Battleground. Granted, neither of those bouts were all that great, but it marked the first time in many years that The Apex Predator looked truly vulnerable.
Mahal was responsible for that.
He wasn't long for the main event scene after that (his loss of the WWE title definitively spelled the end of his aggressive push), but Orton played a significant role in ensuring his run on top lasted as long as it did.