10 WWE Wrestlers Randy Orton Has Never Faced One-On-One
2. The Rock/Steve Austin
OK, this one feels like a bit of a cheat in two different
ways, but two of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era have never hooked it up
with one of the biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression Era, so that bears mentioning
here. It’s also especially worth noting when you consider that Randy Orton has
faced the likes of Edge, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Mick Foley and
Eddie Guerrero in singles action.
While lumping them together might seem like a cheat, it’s also worth noting that Randy Orton debuted in 2002, just a couple months before “Stone Cold” Steve Austin walked out of WWE for more than half a year, returning only in time to set up the final match in his WrestleMania trilogy with The Rock. So there never really was an opportunity for the rookie to battle the Rattlesnake.
As for Rocky, he was still around during 2002 into 2003, but he also took a hiatus – this one for Hollywood. However, Rock returned to WWE specifically for a match that involved Orton: Rock & Sock Connection versus Evolution at WrestleMania 20. After that, Rock returned for a handful of matches against John Cena and CM Punk in 2012-13, but he and Orton never crossed paths.
It's wild to think with all the “dream matches” WWE loves to tout that Orton/Austin and Rock/Orton have never come close to fruition. Perhaps it’s possible with Stone Cold finally ending his 19-year retirement this year that we might get a legend versus Legend Killer bout.