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It has recently been reported that WWE legend Randy Orton is rumored to return to the company at Survivor Series: WarGames in Chicago on Saturday 25th November.
The multi-time world champion has been out of action with a severe back injury since May 2022 after he and Matt Riddle failed to unify the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles against The Usos on SmackDown.
Survivor Series would seemingly be the perfect show for the Viper to make his return given that many of his biggest career moments have taken place at the Premium Live Event. Join us as we take a look at 3 reasons why Randy Orton is Mr Survivor Series.
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#3 - An expert at elimination matches
A match that is synonymous with Survivor Series is the traditional 5-on-5 elimination tag team match.
Over the years many superstars have won the signature match however, the Viper may have had some of the most standout moments in the history of this hallowed stipulation.
In 2008 and 2016 the former WWE Champion won the traditional elimination match at Survivor Series as he ended up winning the matches alongside top performers like Cody Rhodes and the late great Bray Wyatt.
#2 - Randy Orton beat one of the all-time greats
As well as making an impact in tag team matches at Survivor Series, the Apex Predator has also been a part of many big singles matches at the show, facing off against top names like The Big Show and Wade Barrett.
However, his most impressive solo outing at the show came in 2007 when he put the WWE Championship on the line against The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels.
The match had a unique stipulation where the two-time Hall of Famer was not allowed to use his iconic Sweet Chin Music finishing move. This led to Michaels having to use various creative moves to get the job done. Despite his best efforts, Randy Orton would defeat the showstopper, adding Shawn to a list of top names he beat as champion.
Although Randy has respect for Shawn Michaels today, in a conversation with The Ringer Wrestling Show The Viper said HBK was not the easiest person to be around when he first joined the company.
"I was lucky to have some great men in the locker room, kind of see how they went about life and how they were with their kids. I got to see Shawn Michaels, who, on all accounts was a complete as*hole. And when I met him I even thought he was a pr*ck. But, I saw the change and I heard the stories… And I feel like, it’s kind of funny, the same thing kind of happened to me. Kind of. You know, it’s part of the journey. I think my legacy is the longevity." (H/T Sportskeeda)
#1 - The Apex Predator is the greatest sole survivor
Survivor Series is very much the Premium Live Event that put Randy Orton on the map, especially after his performances in the elimination tag team matches. While he won in 2008 and 2016, he ended those matches alongside other superstars.
On the other hand, in the early stages of his career the Legend Killer was the last man standing in the match for 3 years in a row.
In 2003, a 23-year-old Orton was a part of team Eric Bischoff alongside top names like Chris Jericho, Christian, Scott Steiner and Mark Henry. The young star outlasted his opponents making him the sole survivor.
The next year, Orton moved further up the card as he main evented the show and took on his former mentor Triple H. Their feud began after The Game turned his back on Randy after the youngster won the World Heayweight title. He further established his name at Survivor Series as the last man standing.
2005 was arguably Randy Orton's most impressive moment at the Premium Live Event with him picking up the threepeat as the sole survivor after defeating team Monday Night RAW. Following the match, one of the most iconic moments in WWE history took place as a returning Undertaker appeared out of a burning coffin to confront Randy Orton.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Randy Orton spoke about how a vengeful Undertaker took care of him in the ring despite Orton legitmately hitting him during a match.
"Even though he owed me one, because I busted his a*s open, he took care of me anyway, ‘cause anyone else would have hit me as hard as they could. I earned an important lesson that day, and that lesson was that your number one priority needs to be to take care of your opponent." (H/T Give Me Sport)
Despite the Deadman's huge return, the night still very much belonged to Randy Orton as he established himself as Survivor Series' most impressive performer.
What are your favorite memories of Randy Orton at Survivor Series? Sound off in the comments section below.
