The “Legend Killer” moniker for Randy Orton helped make him a massive superstar for WWE. Orton was already trending upwards during the run in Evolution. WWE was grooming him to become one of the faces of the company moving forward. Orton is still wrestling towards the top of the card in 2019, which shows that this aspect of his character certainly did help.
One of Orton's goals was to eliminate the legends from the WWE world, from active to part-time to retired. Legends were usually attacked by Orton in one-off appearances, while a few did become longer-term storylines. Find out just which icons ended up on the RKO hit list. These are ten legends that the "Legend Killer" Randy Orton attacked.
10 Vince McMahon
Randy Orton received one of the biggest pushes of his career in 2009. WWE wanted him to become the top heel in the company as he won the Royal Rumble and faced off with Triple H in the WrestleMania XXV main event.
Vince McMahon was Orton's target to kick off the entire storyline. An appearance on Raw would see McMahon demand Orton apologize for past actions. Orton instead responded by hitting a vicious punt to his boss’ head, writing him off television for months.
9 Roddy Piper
The legendary Roddy Piper made the occasional appearance for WWE throughout the 2000s. Randy Orton made Piper his next target as he attacked the legend on an episode of Raw in the historic Madison Square Garden venue.
This was the infamous night that Kofi Kingston got the better of Orton in 2009. Kingston made the save for Piper by taking the fight to Orton. WWE has recently shown this segment back for their recent feud, with Kingston diving off a section to take down Orton through a table.
8 Harley Race
Harley Race was another legend targeted by Randy Orton during the early years of his career. Orton did not strike Race, as this was a verbal assault. Race was sitting ringside for Raw and was confronted by the arrogant young star.
An uncomfortable moment featured Orton spitting in the face of the legend, much to the dismay of everyone watching. This gave him the infamy that comes with spitting in the face of one of the toughest men in the history of the business.
7 Ric Flair
The role of Ric Flair in Randy Orton’s career featured him as a mentor in Evolution. Flair was the older, wiser legend and Orton was the rising star, with Triple H sandwiched between them as the present top star for the company.
Evolution ending would see Orton looking to get revenge against his former friends. Flair was attacked quite a few times by Orton. The two had one of Flair’s last great matches at a Taboo Tuesday PPV inside of a steel cage. Orton attacked Flair from the heel side later in their careers as well.
6 Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam is rightfully viewed as a legend today and will likely get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The success of RVD was not always enjoyable, as he was burnt out by the WWE schedule. Van Dam decided to leave the company after a feud with Randy Orton.
Multiple attacks and a vicious post-match beatdown by Orton would write RVD off television for many years. This added another layer to the legacy of the Legend Killer, by ending a legend during the prime of his career.
5 The Undertaker
The Undertaker was one of the top rivals for Randy Orton in his career. Their first feud came in 2005 when Orton challenged Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. The fascinating story of WWE’s biggest legend vs the new Legend Killer created strong interest between the two.
Following the loss, Orton would continue to go after Undertaker with some brutal attacks. One of the more memorable moments featured Orton setting a casket on fire with Undertaker inside of it, clear symbolism that he had "killed" the legend. Undertaker did return to eventually win the feud.
4 Sgt. Slaughter
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter would feel the wrath of Randy Orton on multiple occasions. The first time came in 2003 when Slaughter was handpicked by Eric Bischoff to face Orton in a “Legend Killer Match” during Raw Roulette. Orton easily won and attacked him in the aftermath.
Another bout between the two would come years later when Orton was once again attacking legends. Orton won the rematch and decided to deliver the punt to Slaughter following the match. Slaughter sold it like a million bucks as he was stretchered out of the venue.
3 Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes was another legend to feel the wrath of Randy Orton on a few occasions. The most memorable moment came in 2009, when Orton was in the Legacy faction with Dusty’s son Cody Rhodes. Dusty helped Orton and Cody get the upper hand on John Cena with an attack.
Orton did not appreciate Dusty’s help enough to spare him, as the RKO was hit out of nowhere. Dusty and Orton also had a memorable match together on PPV with the Texas Bull Rope stipulation. Orton’s career was helped by Dusty making him look strong on multiple occasions.
2 Mick Foley
Mick Foley is one of the legends that was known for helping the careers of younger wrestlers. Randy Orton may have been the one to benefit from this the most during their feud together in 2004. Orton scored a massive win at WrestleMania XX, defeating Foley and The Rock.
This feud started with Orton spitting in the face of Foley and brutally attacking him on multiple occasions. Foley returned for revenge in one of the most brutal matches of Orton’s career, but he came out on top by getting the better of another legend.
1 Hulk Hogan
Randy Orton’s attack on Hulk Hogan was likely the biggest moment to bolster his reputation as the Legend Killer. The feud involved Brooke Hogan having a crush on Orton which led to Hogan and Orton having some tense moments backstage.
Orton, however, took it to another level by hitting an RKO on Hogan in the parking lot on his car. It was one of the cooler looking RKOs at the time, before the move started progressing. Hogan did get the win over Orton at Summerslam 2005 due to his demands, however.