8 WWE Stars That Triple H Stabbed In The Back
4. Randy Orton
From 2002 to 2004, Evolution were unquestionably WWE’s most dominant stable. Originally formed by Ric Flair, Triple H, and Batista, the group aimed to bridge the gap between each wrestler’s respective generation, and they added Orton to their ranks in January 2003.
Now a fully-fledged narcissistic heel, Orton flourished alongside his newfound rivals. They held all of Raw’s major championships at one point in 2003, and Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H defeat multiple challengers for the World Heavyweight Championship. Wins over the likes of Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley saw Orton adopt his famous “Legend Killer” nickname, and the young upstart started running through a host of WWE legends week after week.
At SummerSlam ‘04, the 24-year-old Randy Orton defeated Chris Benoit to become the youngest World Heavyweight Championship in WWE. Evolution threw what looked like a celebration for Orton on the following night’s Raw, but Triple H’s jealousy took over. With Orton on Batista’s shoulders, Triple H turned his approving thumbs up to an ominous thumbs down: The Legend Killer was beaten down and officially dismissed from Evolution.
Triple H demanded Orton hand over his belt. Randy refused, and began a feud with his former stablemates that saw him lose the belt to triple H at Unforgiven, before defeating Ric Flair in a steel cage match. He continued feuding with Triple H until the 2005 Royal Rumble, when he was defeated by The Game with the title on the line.
Orton was never quite the same, though. His mental state gradually eroded, the voices started talking inside his head, and he grew into a vicious, sadistic anti-hero. The Viper’s path would continue to cross with Triple H’s throughout his WWE career, and he, Hunter, and Batista briefly revived Evolution to wrestle The Shield at Extreme Rules 2014.