25 Great Wrestlers That EVERYBODY Turned Against
8. Randy Orton
With a career two and a half decades down and no obvious sign of an ending in sight, Randy Orton's legacy within WWE is assured, and never has this been more apparent than since his return at the 2023 Survivor Series.
His pop that night in Chicago was dwarfed by the one CM Punk received, but ever since then, he's routinely been the recipient of reactions that are only rivalled by the likes of Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' himself. Fans love Orton, are evidently glad to be seeing him live, and actively enjoy the same "methodically paced" matches he's had his entire career. It's the best of times, as opposed to...multiple others in his controversial career.
Orton was given every possible advantage early in his career, but multiple issues around his immaturity and attitude in general resulted in him being at various points a locker room pariah, a failed project of Triple H, a doomed fallen star one wellness violation/suspension away from a firing, and perhaps most infamously the wrestler prone to the most obvious tantrums when colleagues made mistakes he deemed "STUPID...STUPID!".
The loop of push followed by bad behaviour looked set to derail him sooner rather than later, but tenure and an overdue realisation of his very apparent character flaws resulted in a much-needed shift for his character, and one that came through on screen. After a short run back on top as WWE Champion in 2020, he's spent the entire half-decade since a beloved legend - the longest he's ever consistently stayed on the virtuous side of the divide.