9 Awesome WWE Matches From Criminally Short Title Reigns

4. Randy Orton vs. Triple H (Unforgiven 2004)

Randy Orton Triple H
WWE.com

It was shocking to see young Randy Orton beat a veteran like Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam 2004. Orton didn't look out of step with a workhorse like Benoit at all, and he was a natural choice in the World Title hot seat. Trust Triple H then to cut that run short.

28 days after SummerSlam, Randy was staring at the lights for his ex-Evolution stablemate at Unforgiven. This was a chance to show faith in Orton and have him go over Triple H, just as he had Benoit. Then, the warring angle could have raged on. Instead, WWE made Orton look like a flash in the pan who couldn't hang with 'The Game'.

The Unforgiven match was fun, but Randy's title reign should have been way longer. As one of WWE's brightest new headline hopes, Orton went 25 minutes with Triple H and again looked ready for the challenge. If you can ignore the finish, this is very much worthwhile.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.