Randy Orton has had one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time and while he is still adding to that legacy, he has already created a Hall Of Fame-worthy career. He's had lots of different character adjustments and each tweak has added to his career.
Whether he's been a detested heel or a top babyface, Randy Orton has done it all and really achieved everything. From titles to top feuds, the Viper has ticked every box, but which version of Orton has been the best?
10 Randy The Rookie
As is the case for the majority of wrestlers, Randy Orton's rookie years was the weakest of his career. While he impressed with his in-ring work, showcasing how fluid he was with his wrestling ability, he didn't really have much character development.
There wasn't really any gimmick here which is understandable as he was a brand new talent in WWE. Because of that, he didn't really create anything memorable throughout this period.
9 Wyatt Family Run
Randy Orton didn't spend a long period of time within The Wyatt Family, but his spell with the group was one of the weakest periods of his career. While there was plenty for Orton to get his teeth stuck into here, it didn't ever feel like things connected.
The tension between him and Luke Harper was great, but the ultimate pay-off to this storyline was a letdown. The fact Orton never committed to the group with a change of ring gear didn't help either, as it was too obvious he wasn't going to stick around.
8 Generic Babyface
It has always been very clear that Randy Orton is best served working as a heel because he is far more engaging in that role. However, there have been several segments of his career in the past five years where he has had very stale and unforgettable runs as a babyface.
Coming out of his time in the Wyatt Family was one example, working as a top babyface that nobody was interested in. This was clear all the way back when he split from Evolution during the latter part of 2004. For some reason, WWE tried to push him as the major babyface fans would love as champion, but the entire situation ended in disaster as fans simply couldn't accept him in the role.
7 Apex Predator
Speaking of quite forgettable runs, he had a spell as a heel that was equally as forgettable as well. Between 2010 and 2013 Orton worked a heel, but he wasn't anywhere near as compelling as he could be with his character work not being there.
However, during this period he did feud with Christian which helped to create some of the best matches of his career, and that certainly made this part of his career more interesting than the previously mentioned sections.
6 Memorabilia Collector
Randy Orton was back to his very best when he became the memorabilia collector. He was a detested heel again as he targeted the likes of Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy, taking pieces from each feud he entered as a token of his victory.
Orton defaced Mysterio by taking his mask and then took the necklace with the Hardy emblem from Jeff. The Viper was so vicious that he also attacked Hardy's ear with a screwdriver. Orton was incredibly violent during this run and it really created a memorable time for his career. He wasn't in the main event spots, but he was certainly doing great work that benefited WWE's programming.
5 The Authority
The Authority might have run a little longer than most fans would have liked, but it was a great period for Randy Orton. He was once again promoted as the top heel in the company and having a big group behind him really added to his character.
Orton was able to act as arrogant as he wanted which was really interesting and then the complex dynamic between him and Seth Rollins really made things fun. Their eventual feud and Orton's initial babyface turn were really well done here, with this being a fantastic portion of his career.
4 Legend Killer 2.0
Right now, Randy Orton is putting in some of the best work he has ever done, and if the run continues it could easily end up as his greatest. Ever since he attacked Edge, The Viper has been on another level, cutting incredible promos and having brilliant matches.
Clearly motivated, Orton has been able to capture the attention of fans better than most in the no-fans era of wrestling. Taking out his former friends such as Edge and Big Show to become the Legend Killer again has rejuvenated his career and has taken him back to where he belongs.
3 Evolution
Evolution is one of the greatest factions in wrestling history and because of that, this portion of Randy Orton's career has to rank high. While he wasn't fully polished as a performer here, he was getting the chance to learn from two of the greatest of all time.
He worked as a dastardly heel, someone who was young and cocky and it instantly made fans hate him. Orton shone brightly in the group and was clearly a future star, and the fact he went on to become a multi-time world champion only makes this group even better.
2 Legacy
Randy Orton has been part of quite a few notable factions over the course of his career, but Legacy was the only faction that Orton has been able to lead. It was a fantastic part of his career and allowed him to really thrive as a top heel.
It showcased how far he had come in his WWE career as he was at the point where he could push as a main event talent, all while putting over two upcoming stars in the process.
1 Legend Killer
When it comes to Randy Orton at his best, the original Legend Killer gimmick is certainly the best of the bunch. He was at his peak here in terms of being a horrendous heel who had no problem in doing whatever it took to hurt anyone who got in his way.
Feuding against the Mick Foley was incredibly entertaining and Orton was genuinely scary at this stage in his career. His character work was fantastic as the voices in his head really built up, creating an incredible character. Orton's Legend Killer victim list hold many notables names, including the likes of Shawn Michaels, Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, The Undertaker, and Triple H. In 2020, Orton showed shades of his Legend Killer gimmick, trying to kill off the careers of Edge and Big Show