--- title: "Top 10 Best Randy Orton Matches You Have To See" canonical: "https://wrestletalk.com/features/top-10-best-randy-orton-matches/" type: "post" language: "en-US" author: "SP3" section: "Features" published: "2022-04-25T16:02:23Z" modified: "2022-04-28T07:55:35Z" --- # Top 10 Best Randy Orton Matches You Have To See This week marked 20 years since the WWE debut of Randy Orton. The third-generation star came into the promotion with plenty of hype due to his family’s legacy, but he has clearly surpassed what his father and grandfather have been able to achieve in the business. Many fans and pundits have described Orton as the perfect professional wrestler. A lot of that is down to his crispness in the ring that has led to many classic in-ring contests throughout his 20-year career. The Legend Killer has faced a virtual who’s who of WWE Hall of Famers and legends, so it makes deciding which bouts belong on this list difficult. With Monday Night Raw set to celebrate his 20-year career, here are the top 10 best Randy Orton matches. ##### Related Story ![Watch Randy Orton React To His Greatest Moments Ahead Of 20th Anniversary](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/randy-orton-april-20-w-300x169.jpg) [Watch Randy Orton React To His Greatest Moments Ahead Of 20th Anniversary](https://wrestletalk.com/news/randy-orton-react-greatest-moments-20th-anniversary/) **Honorable mentions:** - Randy Orton vs. Edge – WWE Raw April 30, 2007 - Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship – WWE SummerSlam 2007 - Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 31 - Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship – WWE SummerSlam 2020 - RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis) vs. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat Match for the Raw Tag Team Championships – WWE Raw March 7, 2022 ## 10. Randy Orton vs. Edge for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – WWE Vengeance 2004 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Edge-Orton-Vengeance-April-2022.jpg) Randy Orton’s Intercontinental Championship reign in 2004 was filled with some terrific in-ring encounters. At Vengeance 2004, the Legend Killer defended his title against Edge. After returning from injury, the soon-to-be Rated R Superstar set his sights on the IC Title and this pitted two of the fastest rising stars in the company going head-to-head. This had a brisk pace to start and settled in to more traditional style with Orton grounding Edge in the middle portion. The finishing sequence picked things up once again and saw several reversals from each competitor. Edge blocked the RKO and looked for the spear, but Orton leapfrogged it. In the end, Orton exposing the turnbuckle earlier in the match came back to haunt him as Edge sent him into the exposed steel before hitting the spear to win the Intercontinental Championship. This was a showcase of two stars who would go on to be main eventers for the company for the next decade. ## 9. Randy Orton vs. Christian in a No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – WWE SummerSlam 2011 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-Christian-SS11-April-2022.jpg) The 2011 rivalry between Randy Orton and Christian may just be the best in-ring work of either man’s career (more on that later). Christian regained the World Heavyweight Championship from Orton at Money In The Bank 2011 in controversial fashion, which led to a rematch under No Holds Barred stipulation at SummerSlam. Orton and Christian’s former tag team partner Edge had an in-ring promo exchange with Captain Charisma that got into his head, but he still came out cocky about this bout. Christian tried to use any underhanded tactic he could, but both men knew each other extremely well at this point. It was a counter for counter affair that then blended the stipulation in nicely. Each competitor had some big time spots with Orton driving Christian through a table at ringside after hitting him with a steel chair, while Christian reversed a RKO into the Killswitch for a super near fall. The crowd was fully invested in all the creativity on display, which played into the finish. Just when Orton looked to set up for one final RKO, Christian nailed him with a kendo stick. He then went to the second rope for a springboard, but Orton caught him with a RKO on the steel steps for the win. This stole the show at SummerSlam 2011 and ended this feud in a dramatic way. ## 8. Randy Orton vs. Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship – WWE No Mercy 2007 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-HHH-No-Mercy-April-2022.jpg) After John Cena went down with an injury and had to relinquish the WWE Championship, Randy Orton was handed the gold by Vince McMahon at No Mercy 2007. This kicked off a night where Triple H defeated Orton to win the title and then successfully defended against Umaga. In the main event, The Game and The Legend Killer would meet one more time in a Last Man Standing Match. This started as a slugfest and escalated in physicality as time went on. Triple H came into the bout with injured ribs from the Umaga match and that became the focus of Orton’s attack. Steel chairs, steel steps, cable wires and the commentary table were all used by both men. Orton looked to put Triple H away with a running RKO on an open chair that busted The Game open, but he gets up at the count of nine. Triple H nailed Orton with a steel chair with his head caught in the steel steps, but The Viper gets up at the count of nine as well. The Game attempted the Pedigree on the announce table, but Orton reversed it into the RKO that finally kept Triple H down for the count of 10. This was the best match Triple H and Randy Orton ever had together and had a truly thrilling Last Man Standing Match. ## 7. Randy Orton vs. John Cena in an I Quit Match for the WWE Championship – WWE Breaking Point 2009 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cena-orton-2009.jpg) This was Randy Orton at his peak Apex Predator persona. Orton came in as WWE Champion and defended against John Cena in an I Quit Match. This was a stipulation that Cena had never lost in. The Apex Predator used anything that he could get his hands on to punish Cena. Orton used the announce table monitor, steel steps and handcuffs to his advantage. He cuffed Cena to the ropes and then hung him up from the ring post. Orton woke Cena up with water and then assaulted him with a kendo stick several times in a vicious beating. The champion then hung Cena up from another ring post and used a steel chair to batter him. The screams of agony from Cena made this compelling to watch as he continued to valiantly not say “I Quit”. Cena finally steals away the handcuff key and unlocks himself. He then proceeds to handcuff himself to Orton, giving him nowhere to run. Orton catches Cena with the RKO, but he can’t make it to the key due to the unconscious body wearing him down. Cena recovers and locks on the STF, using the handcuffs as an assist to finally make Orton say “I Quit” to win the WWE Championship. This is among the best matches these two ever had together. ## 6. Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Edge vs. Shawn Michaels in a Fatal Four Way for the WWE Championship – WWE Backlash 2007 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-Cena-Edge-HBK-April-2022.jpg) John Cena faced the toughest challenge of his longest WWE Championship reign at Backlash 2007 in a Fatal Four Way Match against Randy Orton, Edge and Shawn Michaels. The bout started with a four-way slugfest with Cena and Michaels clearing the ring. Cena and HBK had done battle at WrestleMania 23 and on the go-home Raw in a 57-minute barnburner. This exchange picked things up right from there. Edge and Orton took out both competitors and started slugging it out themselves. This led to Michaels hitting a moonsault off the top rope to the floor on his three opponents. Rated RKO then began working with each other and even applied a double Boston Crab on HBK. All four men executed a Tower of Doom spot that had everyone down. Each man went for their finishers, but it was Randy Orton who hit the RKO on Shawn Michaels when he looked for Sweet Chin Music. Edge then hit the Spear on Orton, but Cena hit a spear of his own on the Rated R Superstar. However, HBK came in with Sweet Chin Music on Cena, which knocked him backwards onto Orton for the win to retain the WWE Championship This was a phenomenal Fatal Four Way that told a captivating story and highlighted all four men brilliantly. ## 5. Evolution (Randy Orton, Batista & Triple H) vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns) – WWE Extreme Rules 2014 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Shield-Evolution-Extreme-Rules-April-2022.jpeg) Following WrestleMania 30, The Shield turned babyface and betrayed the Authority. This led to Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton reuniting Evolution to face The Shield at Extreme Rules 2014. The six-man tag team match had a big fight feel in the atmosphere and immediately started with a brawl. Seth Rollins showed off his high risk style by hitting a suicide dive on Triple H, but The Game nailed Rollins with a clothesline to give Evolution the advantage. The Game, The Animal and The Legend Killer made for a tremendous heel trio and did all the little things to have the fans rally behind The Shield. They isolated Seth until he was able to land an enziguri and tag in Dean Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe ran wild on Evolution until The Game cuts him off. After several minutes of isolating Ambrose, he finally tagged in Roman Reigns who came in hot himself. There was non-stop action for the rest of the contest with everyone flying all over the place. The Shield hit the Triple Powerbomb on Batista for two when Orton and Batista breaking up the pin. The crowd brought into every near fall and only got more invested when the brawl went into the crowd. Seth Rollins hit a crazy dive out of the balcony onto Ambrose, HHH and Orton. Back in the ring, Batista hit a spinebuster on Reigns, but Roman reversed, hit the Superman Punch and followed with the Spear for the win. This was a wild, physically intense encounter that put over The Shield in a huge way. ## 4. Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship – WWE SummerSlam 2004 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-Benoit-April-2022.jpg) Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H in a three-way with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 20. Regardless of how many times The Game attempted to reclaim the title, he couldn’t. At SummerSlam 2004, his protege Randy Orton had his chance to wrestle the gold away. The contest started with a grappling exchange with Benoit gaining control and frustrating Orton. The Legend Killer would gain the advantage after Benoit missed a suicide dive and landed head-first into the guardrail. Orton focused on his opponent’s neck to soften up for the RKO. He busted out an awesome looking neckbreaker on Benoit. The champion avoided the RKO and hit a German Suplex. Benoit followed with the Sharpshooter, but Orton made it to the ropes. Benoit followed with six Germans in a row and went for the diving headbutt, but Orton got his foot up. After a series of reversals with each man looking for their finishers, Orton hit the RKO to become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history. This was a great main event that told an effective story filled with some well executed counters. ## 3. Randy Orton vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship – WWE Over The Limit 2011 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-Christian-Over-The-Limit-April-2022.jpg) Just five days after winning the World Heavyweight Championship, Christian lost the title to Randy Orton. Captain Charisma made every excuse and believed that he could beat The Viper one-on-one, leading to a rematch at Over The Limit 2011. The bout started with a feeling out process with the crowd split in support for each man. Orton hit a huge superplex early for a two count, while Christian hit a spinebuster for a near fall of his own. It was flawless execution from both stars and the crowd became even more invested into the action. Each competitor brought something new to the table, highlighted by Orton busting out Colt Cabana’s Billy Goat’s Curse submission. Orton reversed Christian’s second-rope flip kick into his own signature rope-hung DDT in a creative sequence, but Christian kicked out. The counters and reversals kept getting more captivating with the crowd becoming more and more engaged into the bout. Orton looked for the punt kick, but Christian hit the spear out of nowhere for another super, close near fall. He then tried to follow up with the Killswitch, but Orton reversed into the RKO for the win. This match became one of many examples why many believe Christian is Orton’s greatest in-ring rival of his career. ## 2. Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – WWE WrestleMania 30 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Orton-Batista-Bryan-April-2022.jpg) Randy Orton came into WrestleMania 30 as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and Batista had just returned after four years away, but the night belonged to Daniel Bryan. The former American Dragon defeated Triple H to earn his spot in the main event after months of dealing with the Authority. A post match beatdown led to him coming into the bout with an injured shoulder as well. This became a key early on. Batista and Orton went at it in the ring until Bryan reentered and woke up the SuperDome crowd. Daniel Bryan hit a diving headbutt on Orton and applied the Yes Lock, but Triple H and Stephanie McMahon came out to pull the referee out. The Authority brought out crooked referee Scott Armstrong. Batista hit the Batista Bomb on Bryan for a near fall. Bryan took out Armstrong, HHH and Stephanie with a suicide dive. Orton and Batista worked together to deliver a Batista Bomb-RKO combo that sent Bryan through the announce table. The champion took a sick bump on one of the monitors that had to hurt. They did a stretcher job for Daniel Bryan, but this didn’t keep him down. Each competitor hit their big moves with a RKO to Bryan for a near fall before Batista hit the Batista Bomb on Orton. However, Bryan came back in with the Busaiku Knee and slaps on the Yes Lock for the submission victory to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This was one of the most emotional WrestleMania main events of all time and told a tremendous underdog story of fighting against all the odds for the win. ## 1. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship – WWE Backlash 2004 ![](https://cdn.wrestletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/foley-orton-2004.jpg) Randy Orton truly took his career to the next level in his personal rivalry with Mick Foley that started in 2003 and into 2004. Orton wanted to take his Legend Killer act to the extreme and targeted the Hardcore Legend. At Backlash 2004, they looked to blow off their feud in a Hardcore Match. The buildup to this bout was absolutely outstanding. This had the big fight feel from the start with Orton bringing a trash can full of weapons, while Foley brought a barbwire bat known as Barbie. Orton used any weapon that he could find to stop Foley. He used a sick back suplex on the steel entrance ramp to gain control. Foley regains the advantage back in the ring with a low blow and uses Barbie to bust open the Legend Killer. The Hardcore Legend put the fear of God in Orton and continued the assault with Barbie by following with a leg drop to crotch using the weapon. Foley then got a board covered in barbwire, but Orton threw powder in his face and slammed him onto the board. He then followed up by throwing Foley head-first into the board for two. Orton then retrieved a bag of thumbtacks and spread it on the mat before attempting the RKO. However, Foley blocked and threw Orton back-first into the tacks for an iconic visual. The two men fight to the top of the ramp where Foley launches Orton into multiple tables. After a near fall from the Double Arm DDT by Foley, Orton nails him with Barbie to bust the Hardcore Legend open. Foley keeps going for the Mandible Claw, but Orton hits a low blow and then the RKO for another close near fall. Orton followed with another RKO onto Barbie to defeat Foley and retain the Intercontinental Title. This was a brutal, bloody war that made the Legend Killer a legitimate star and is easily the most violent IC Title match ever. It is also the very best Randy Orton match of his illustrious 20-year career. **To make sure you stay updated with all the latest wrestling news, add WrestleTalk.com to your [Google Discover](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2819496?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en) feed and follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/WrestleTalk_TV)!**