Randy Orton's Career Told In Photos, Through The Years

Professional wrestling was in Randy Orton's blood. He's a third-generation superstar as he is the son of Cowboy Bob Orton Jr. and the grandson of Bob Orton Sr. While Orton has had his fair share of injury problems, Orton has operated at a high level. When motivated, Orton is one of the greatest wrestlers on the WWE roster. He's 42 years of age, and he continues to add to his legacy with memorable moments.RELATED: 10 Matches You Forgot Randy Orton Competed InOrton has competed in countless main events throughout his career, and he has been a member of some great tag teams and factions. While he has 14 World Title reigns to his name, it remains to be seen if Orton can close in on Ric Flair and John Cena's haul of 16. Nevertheless, Orton is a sure-fire WWE Hall of Famer, and these photos reflect his wonderful career.

12 OVW

Randy Orton began his early years as a professional wrestler in OVW in 2001. Orton was only 20 years of age, but he impressed during his time in the promotion. Orton battled a familiar face in John Cena down there, when he was called the Prototype.

Sometimes main roster wrestlers would show up in OVW, and it gave Orton a taste of things to come in life in WWE. Orton won the OVW Hardcore Championship twice, and he was a member of the class of 2002 which featured fellow multiple World Champions in Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar.

11 Main Roster Debut

On the April 25, 2002, edition of SmackDown, Randy Orton made his debut on the main roster. He was up against Hardcore Holly, who does not give anyone an easy ride. Orton managed to pick up an upset victory over Holly, who was displeased.

Holly was the perfect rival for Orton to get his feet settled under the table in WWE. Unfortunately, Orton picked up a shoulder injury when he moved onto Raw in the fall of 2002 and he turned heel but he gained experience when he would show up with his Randy News Network segment.

10 Evolution

Evolution is one of the greatest factions that WWE has ever assembled. Triple H and Ric Flair recruited Orton and Batista, and the pair of them never looked back. Orton thrived in Evolution, as he engaged in a marquee feud with Shawn Michaels, and he picked up one of the finest wins in his career when he beat him at Unforgiven 2003.

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Orton became the Legend Killer in Evolution, and he secured his first piece of silverware when beat Rob Van Dam at Armageddon 2003 for the Intercontinental Championship. Orton held the Intercontinental Championship for 210 days, and he was onto bigger things when he was booted out of the group.

9 Feud With Mick Foley

The feud that made people take notice of Randy Orton was his battles with Mick Foley. The Hardcore Legend is a three-time WWE Champion but Orton stood up to Foley. He kicked Foley down a flight of stairs in the bowels of Madison Square Garden.

Orton scored the winning pinfall in a handicap match alongside Batista and Flair against the Rock 'n' Sock Connection at WrestleMania 20. However, they took their feud up a notch in a violent Hardcore match at Backlash 2004. Orton came of age that night, and he beat Foley on his lonesome and he took a tremendous amount of punishment, which gave people a ton of respect for the Legend Killer.

8 Youngest World Heavyweight Champion

After Randy Orton dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Edge, a month later, he shifted his attention towards the World Heavyweight Championship. At SummerSlam 2004, Orton dethroned Chris Benoit to become the youngest World Champion in WWE history at the age of 24.

Orton's performance was sublime, but he was unfortunate that his maiden World Championship reign did not catch fire. He was booted out of Evolution, and his former mentor Triple H ended his title run at the following pay-per-view at Unforgiven.

7 Rivalry With The Undertaker

Randy Orton's babyface run was a disaster after he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H. He turned heel once again at the start of 2005, and he entered a feud with The Undertaker. Orton needed this marquee feud with the Deadman to get his career back on track.

RELATED: 10 Things You Forgot About The Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker Rivalry

Orton moved to SmackDown after he lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. He regrouped by defeating the Phenom at SummerSlam. Orton looked strong in his year-long feud with Undertaker, and whilst, he failed to win any titles in 2005, he looked strong in his defeat to Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.

6 The Age Of Orton

Something was missing from Orton's resume, and that was a second World Championship reign. John Cena got injured, and the Legend Killer was in the right place at the right time. At No Mercy 2007, he was awarded the WWE Championship by Mr. McMahon.

It was Orton's first World Title run in two years, but it was short-lived with Triple H beating him for the gold. However, Orton ended the night as the WWE Champion in a Last Man Standing match. Nevertheless, at 27, Orton was finally entering the prime of his career. Orton had a superb WWE Championship run, and it lasted six months, but he looked comfortable as the top heel in WWE.

5 Legacy

Whilst, Randy Orton was on the sidelines after sustaining a shoulder injury, he recruited Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as his lapdogs, and Legacy was born. Orton's work aided Rhodes in his development, and DiBiase to an extent before he decided that professional wrestling wasn't him for any more.

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Orton went on to win the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career at the 2009 Royal Rumble with help from Rhodes and DiBiase. The Viper was at the top of his game, and he engaged in battles over the WWE Championship with Triple H and John Cena. 2009 is arguably Orton's best year, and the work that he put in deserves a lot of praise.

4 Face Run

The majority of good work in Randy Orton's career has come as a heel, but he had an excellent run as a babyface in 2011. The Viper was popular after he parted ways with Legacy at the start of 2010. Orton racked up more World Championship reigns and his feud with Christian was superb.

RELATED: Every Randy Orton Vs. Christian Match, Ranked Worst To Best

Orton competed at a high level once again, and he was one of the top faces in the company. 2012 wasn't a good year for Orton, but he bounced back in 2013 when he turned heel and joined The Authority.

3 WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Randy Orton won the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2013, and he didn't take long to cash in his briefcase. With a helping hand from Triple H, Orton captured the WWE Championship at Daniel Bryan's expense at SummerSlam.

Orton was back on top, and he closed out the year in style. He beat his old foe John Cena in a TLC match to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles. The Viper thrived on being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but his run on top was halted by Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30.