Randy Orton is a future WWE Hall Of Famer who has had an incredible career in the wrestling industry. A decorated champion who has been part of legendary factions such as Legacy and Evolution, the Viper has created some of wrestling's greatest moments.
Inside the ring, Orton is one of the best wrestlers of his generation. With a fantastic smoothness to his work, the son of Cowboy Bob Orton has had some incredible matches throughout his career, headlining countless PPV's along the way. Throughout his career, the Viper has performed on the Grandest Stage Of Them All 15 times, with several main events to his name as well. Let's take a look at some of his WrestleMania highs and lows.
10 Best: Randy Orton vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 21)
This might not be Randy Orton at his peak, but it is certainly still a very entertaining match that is one of his best ever at WrestleMania. It was really the turning point for the Deadman's streak.
From this point on it felt like all of Undertaker's matches at WrestleMania were incredibly important, with WWE making a big deal out of it. As a young bluechip prospect, it seemed plausible that Orton could be the one to beat Undertaker, and because of that fans were really able to buy into some of the near falls. The two men had the fans on the edge of their seat throughout, and created one of the streak's better matches.
9 Worst: Randy Orton vs Kane (WrestleMania XXVIII)
This is one of those Randy Orton WrestleMania matches that many people likely forgot about, because there really wasn't an engaging storyline heading into this one and the match wasn't given a prominent spot on the card.
While there was nothing overly bad about the match itself, it just had a very standard Raw or SmackDown feel about it. With Kane and Orton having tons of experience at this stage in their careers, they both did enough to make sure the match was entertaining, but neither kicked it into the next gear to make it feel WrestleMania-worthy.
8 Best: Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 22)
Triple threat matches at WrestleMania can be difficult to navigate, but all three men did a fantastic job at WrestleMania 22, as they battled it out for the World Heavyweight Championship in a match that was kept to an incredibly high pace.
Even though it would be Orton who took the pinfall here, the match itself was still a standout highlight from his career, working with two experienced main event stars. It only served to cement him as a top-tier talent in WWE.
7 Worst: Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt (WrestleMania 33)
Fans had incredibly high expectations for the match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33, after what had been a very entertaining build up in the weeks prior.
While the two men had chemistry when it came to creating promos or unique backstage videos, that didn't transition to the ring. The match was stuck in a tough spot on a very long show and the slow pace to the match didn't help.
6 Best: Evolution vs Rock 'N' Sock Connection (WrestleMania XX)
When you have this many legends and major personalities in one match, the outcome is always going to be something special. That is exactly what happened at WrestleMania XX when Evolution (minus Triple H) took on the Rock 'N' Sock Connection.
This might not have been Randy Orton or Batista at their peak, but both men were young and hungry to prove themselves, going all out to make the match a success on a stacked 'Mania card. It was clear to see in this match that WWE had big plans for Orton's future, with the Viper being the man who got the pinfall after RKO'ing Foley, setting up a fun feud between the two men.
5 Worst: Randy Orton, Sheamus, & Big Show vs The Shield (WrestleMania 29)
This match just felt incredibly random at the time, with three wrestlers who had no real relationship all just teaming together in an attempt to take down The Shield, which ultimately failed and didn't get the best out of the Hounds of Justice.
It certainly didn't feel like a special WrestleMania bout, feeling more like an average Monday Night Raw match. This one really just felt like an excuse to simply set up Orton's post-WrestleMania feud with Big Show; the World's Largest Athlete turned heel (shock) as he knocked out the Viper to finish a very lacklustre match.
4 Best: Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)
This is a fantastic example of how matches lower in the card can easily become classic matches if the wrestlers involved look to maximise their minutes and try to steal the show, which is exactly what Randy Orton and Seth Rollins did.
The two men had been involved in an excellent, long-term storyline and it certainly paid off with this match. Both men gave everything they had here, in what was a very even contest that was packed with great spots. Orton and Rollins had great chemistry in the ring and even though they weren't in a main event spot, they put on a match that is still remembered by fans. Oh, and who can forget what is one of the greatest RKO's in the history of the brilliant finisher?
3 Worst: Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal vs Rusev vs Bobby Roode (WrestleMania 34)
Nowadays, WWE has an obsession with ensuring that everyone is on the WrestleMania card. As a result, matches often become bloated and the show incredibly long, with this bout being a prime example of that.
Orton was the United States Champion at the time, but this fatal four-way really felt like a throwaway match on the show with WWE not wanting to create an actual storyline (when a singles match against Rusev could have worked just fine). A real waste of Orton's star power at this point in his career.
2 Best: Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan vs Batista (WrestleMania XXX)
This is not just one of Randy Orton's greatest WrestleMania matches but one of the best matches in the history of the blockbuster PPV, period. It was a bout packed with emotion that created one of the best moments ever in WWE.
Orton and Batista were originally slated for a singles match at WrestleMania XXX, but things were changed when it quickly became apparent that Daniel Bryan simply had to be in the match due to his overwhelming popularity. It turned out to be the right decision and all three men tore the house down, putting on a classic. The match had great wrestling and some brutal spots including Orton catching Bryan with an RKO off a Batista Bomb through the announce table, with it all ending with Bryan's feel-good moment.
1 Worst: Randy Orton vs Triple H (WrestleMania XXV)
In contrast to the previous entry, this wasn't just one of Randy Orton's worst WrestleMania matches, but it was one of the worst WrestleMania main events and one of the most disappointing 'Mania matches in the history of the event.
The build-up to this match had been incredible, with WWE creating a really hot feud. The fans were fully behind it as WWE really made it seem like the two men hated each other, but then the match failed to convey such a story. The two men simply could not follow Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker, who had stolen the show, and instead of adding a stipulation which the match really needed, they restricted Orton even more by adding he would lose the title if he was disqualified. Instead of a heated brawl, we got a classic slow Triple H match, which didn't do Orton any favors.