WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Wrestlers - Where Are They Now?

Entry: #35

Time: 10:58

Then: WWE lifer Randy Orton was only a few matches away from undergoing meniscus surgery in his knee when he boarded a flight for the trip to Saudi Arabia. Once he arrived in Jeddah, the 'Viper' worked around 11 minutes and eliminated 4 wrestlers (Mojo Rawley, Karl Anderson, Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin) before being ejected himself by Elias.

Orton probably wasn't too bothered. He'd only been in the United States Title scene anyway, and the Greatest Rumble was just another gig en route to that time on the shelf. The RKO maestro wouldn't make a comeback until July for a heel turn and return to his 'Legend Killer' days.

At least Orton's involvement upped the star power for the GRR. Without him, the latter half of the match wouldn't have been as much fun.

Now: Randy remains one of WWE's biggest legacy stars. So to speak.

He's ultra-reliable, works well whether he's babyface or heel, and is regarded as a true general behind the curtain. It hasn't always been this way, no, but Orton is also seen as a model professional younger wrestlers can aspire to mimic. Try telling that to the dude who was hazing his way through everybody in sight a generation or so ago!

Even John Cena thought "old Randy" was annoying, but times have changed. Today, he's a surefire future WWE Hall Of Famer who still (at time of writing) has a bumper title match and feud against Cody Rhodes in his back pocket. Triple H will surely play that card before long, but it's anyone's guess who will be the heel in that scenario.