11 WWE Stars Quickly Elevated From Secondary To World Championships

4. Randy Orton (2004)

Orton's path quite clearly mirrors that of The Rock's rise up the WWE ladder: third-generation wrestler that was bland as a babyface, turned heel and joined a prominent stable, won the Intercontinental belt, reigned eternally, lost the belt, then ascended into the main event shortly after. Does sound familiar, no? Orton held the Intercontinental title for seven months from December 2003 to July 2004, and gained a huge measure of cred by toppling Mick Foley in a violently personal feud. After dropping the title to Edge at Vengeance in July, the main event push couldn't start fast enough. Indeed, five weeks later, Orton RKO'ed Chris Benoit to win the World Heavyweight title at SummerSlam, receiving heavy cheers from the 'BizarroWorld' fans in Toronto in his moment of glory. Not a bad resume for a 24-year-old.