Every 'Next Big Thing' In Wrestling History: Where Are They Now?

9. Randy Orton

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WWE.com

Randy Orton was brought in to be Batista. 

Batista wasn’t brought in to be Batista; judging by the dire trappings of the Deacon gimmick, to WWE, he might as well have been Heidenreich: just a huge chiselled lump who might come good, might not, get him in, we’re desperate. 

Batista - not to say his acting wasn’t genuinely tremendous, or that he didn’t truly apply himself in the ring - benefitted from the failure of Randy Orton’s big push (which also predated John Cena’s). 

Orton was in part crowned as the youngest WWE Champion in history to erase Brock Lesnar, but WWE saw everything in him, and built the Evolution vehicle around his becoming a star. 

He didn’t - not because he wasn’t significantly further along than Batista or Cena, but because he was presented as bitch, basically. A spitting, sneak-attacking bitch. Who lost in about a month. 

Orton is now established as a legendary WWE name. Some of the matches were dull, his character changes were incremental, and you’d probably struggle to reel off his exact title history from memory - one Roman Reigns title run meant more than his 14 - but he eventually showed the audience that he was as great as WWE told you he was.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!