5 matches which cemented Randy Orton's legacy at Survivor Series

Randy Orton, a former 14-time world champion, is arguably the greatest superstar on the current WWE roster.

Staying relevant for close to two decades is testament to his longevity and unparalleled ability as a professional wrestler. Having achieved so much in this business, The Viper is still going strong as the reigning RAW Tag Team Champion with partner Riddle, together known as RK-Bro.

Having said this, over the years we have seen certain superstars soar to another level when it comes to bigger events.

The Undertaker has an envious record at WrestleMania with his streak standing tall at 25-2. Shawn Michaels, in a similar vein, has given it his all at 'The Showcase of the Immortals' to be anointed as Mr. Wrestlemania.

When we talk about Survivor Series, Randy Orton has certainly made his mark on this pay-per-view like few others have.

In this article, we look at five matches which cemented The Viper's legacy at Survivor Series:

#5 Team Bischoff vs Team Austin - Survivor Series 2003 (First match for Orton at the PPV)

Having debuted in WWE in 2002, Randy Orton was looking to make a mark at his first Survivor Series in 2003.

The Legend Killer (a member of Evolution) was a part of Team Bischoff who faced off against Team Austin. The storyline stipulation of the match was that if Team Austin lost, RAW Co-General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin would be forced to leave WWE for good.

Randy Orton made an immediate impact on the match, eliminating Team Austin's Rob Van Dam. As the contest progressed, Shawn Michaels was the only member left on Team Austin against a young Orton who was valiantly standing tall for Team Bischoff.

The Apex Predator managed to pin the Heart Break Kid with some help from his Evolution team-mate Batista after he nailed Michaels with a devastating Batista Bomb. As a result, Team Bischoff won the match with young Randy Orton being the sole survivor.

This was just be the start of the dominance Orton would exhibit at this pay-per-view in the years to come.

#4 Team Orton vs Team Triple H - Survivor Series 2004

Leading into Survivor Series 2004, Randy Orton had just split from Evolution and was in a heated feud against Triple H.

Eric Bischoff, the on-screen General Manager of RAW at the time, had put a stipulation in this traditional 4-on-4 elimination match with the winning team getting absolute control of running RAW for a month.

Like last year, The Viper again proved his metal in this match by eliminating Edge before locking horns with The Game as the only two competitors left in the contest.

Orton hit Triple H with an RKO out of nowhere to win the contest as the WWE Universe in attendance chanted 'RKO' for the first time. For the second year running, Randy Orton was the sole survivor, further cementing his legacy at this event.

#3 Team RAW vs Team SmackDown - Survivor Series 2005

By the time Survivor Series 2005 came about, Randy Orton was beaming with confidence, having been the sole survivor two years running at this event.

In a traditional 5-on-5 elimination match, Team SmackDown boasting impressive talent the likes of Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley, and of course Orton took on Team RAW who themselves had a formidable team that comprised of Kane, Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters and Shawn Michaels.

After going back and forth in the contest with both teams managing crucial eliminations, the final showdown was between Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels. HBK had revenge on his mind when he came up short against The Viper two years back for Team Austin.

Unfortunately for Michaels he couldn't win again as Orton nailed him with a devastating RKO to win the contest for Team SmackDown and become the sole survivor three years running. A feat certainly worth every praise.

With that being said, the contest is also remembered for the returning Undertaker who Orton was in a feud with during that time.

#2 Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series 2007

Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels have had some memorable bouts in the past.

Leading up to Survivor Series 2007, the two superstars were involved in another feud with HBK challenging The Viper for his WWE Championship in the RAW main event on the night.

The stipulation set for this contest was that Michaels was banned from using his finisher 'Sweet Chin Music' where as Orton could not get himself disqualified. The match was very entertaining as HBK tried different maneuvers to finish off Orton, albeit the Champion was able to seal the victory with a lethal RKO.

Randy, with this win, further cemented his legacy at Survivor Series, showing immense capability as a singles competitor apart from his already known triumphs in the traditional tag team elimination matches.

#1 Team RAW vs Team SmackDown - Survivor Series 2016

Leading up to Survivor Series 2016, Randy Orton had formed an alliance with Bray Wyatt.

The two superstars, along with Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles and Shane McMahon, took on a very strong RAW team comprising of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman.

The contest was 53 minutes of absolute mayhem with Orton showing his class by eliminating Y2J. As the match progressed, Orton and Wyatt were the two members left on Team SmackDown pinned against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns of Team RAW.

'The Eater of Worlds' pinned the former Shield members, as Randy Orton ably helped nailing Seth Rollins with a devastating RKO. Team SmackDown emerged victorious as Orton and Wyatt were the two survivors.

With this win, Randy Orton again proved he truly is Mr. Survivor Series, being a survivor on yet another occasion in this traditional elimination match.