Ranking Each Of Randy Orton’s 12 World Title Wins
1. World Heavyweight Championship Vs. Chris Benoit (SummerSlam 2004)
It’s often difficult to top the original article, and in the case of Orton’s World title wins, that statement seems to hold true.
When Orton defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004, it was not only a top-drawer main event but an outcome that thrust Orton into the company history books. At just 24 years of age, that made Orton the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. It is a record that still stands to this day.
The finish of the match had been as surprising as the eventual outcome itself. Having managed to roll out of the Crossface, Orton repelled another submission attempt before striking with a trademark RKO out of nowhere, one of the first of many in his career, to score a dramatic pinfall.
A post-match handshake reinforced the passing-of-the-torch vibe and gave Orton’s moment some added gravity, setting the ball rolling for his 11 further world championship wins.
His subsequent run may not have been quite so memorable, and though Benoit’s horrendous double-murder suicide has left an indelible mark on the lens through which we view this moment, it remains arguably the most significant World title win of Orton’s entire career.
Of course, that could easily change come WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.