Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton has one of the best win-loss records in recent WWE history. The Viper is a 14-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and without a doubt a first ballot future WWE Hall of Famer.
Randy Orton has also been a member of iconic factions and tag teams such as Evolution, Legacy, and Rated RKO during the course of his WWE career, climbing to the top of the card in the process.
But there have been infrequent occasions where the Apex Predator has been on the receiving end of huge upset defeats by lesser-known WWE Superstars. These losses are very rare, but have happened nevertheless.
Take a closer look at five surprising WWE Superstars who own a victory over Randy Orton.
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#5 Lance Storm def. Randy Orton (WWE SmackDown - May 9, 2002)
Randy Orton made his WWE main roster debut as a member of the SmackDown roster. As a young rookie, Orton's early storylines saw him involved with veterans such as Lance Storm and Hardcore Holly.
One surprising defeat for Randy Orton came at the hands of former WCW and ECW wrestler Storm in May 2002. After Orton defeated Hardcore Holly on SmackDown a few weeks prior, the former WWE Hardcore Champion was steadfast in ensuring he extracted revenge.
Peturbed by Randy Orton's recent success, Lance Storm challenged him to a match on SmackDown. However, before the match could begin, it was revealed that Hardcore Holly was the special guest referee.
The fix was truly in, as every time Randy Orton covered Lance Storm for a pin attempt during the match, Hardcore Holly would deliver a slow count.
Lance Storm had Randy Orton locked in his Maple Leaf submission in the closing moments of the match. Orton appeared to be close to reaching the bottom rope, but referee Hardcore Holly pulled the rope away from the young superstar, forcing him to submit.
#4 Wade Barrett def. Randy Orton (WWE SmackDown - November 11, 2011)
Current WWE NXT color commentator Wade Barrett surprisingly owns several victories over Randy Orton from his in-ring WWE career. One such victory over The Viper came on an episode of SmackDown from the United Kingdom in November 2011.
Ahead of their traditional Survivor Series tag team match against each other, Barrett and Orton faced off in a Captain vs. Captain clash on SmackDown.
Competing in his home country, Barrett had the WWE Universe on his side. However, there were dueling chants of let's go Orton" and "let's go Barrett" throughout the match.
Both superstars fought in an incredibly physical and stiff match, utilizing several trademark offensive maneuvers from their respective arsenals. In the closing moments of the match, Randy Orton looked to be building momentum as he hit Barrett with his trademark clothsline, powerslam, and draping DDT combination.
As The Viper attempted to hit the RKO, Barrett shoved Orton into the referee. While the referee was slightly incapacitated, Barrett quickly raked the eyes of his opponent, allowing him to then roll him up for a big upset victory in front of his home crowd.
#3 Jack Swagger def. Randy Orton (WWE SmackDown - February 22, 2013)
Former WWE Superstar Jack Swagger received a major push when he returned to WWE television in early 2013. After several months away from WWE, Swagger returned with a new, more serious, focused persona. It was later revealed that Swagger was now under the tutilidge of a new manager, Zeb Colter.
The former Dutch Mantell portrayed a self-proclaimed American hero who continued to vocalize his strong anti-immigration and xenophobic beliefs on WWE television. After being managed by Colter, Swagger also began to demonstrate these beliefs and was then dubbed the Real American on WWE television.
In the build-up to Elimination Chamber 2013, Jack Swagger faced off against Randy Orton on SmackDown. Swagger and Orton would both be participants in the Elimination Chamber match to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29.
Jack Swagger and Randy Orton battled it out in an incredibly physical and tough match between two former WWE World Heavyweight Champions. However, the Real American stunned the WWE Universe when he scored a shocking victory over The Viper.
Randy Orton had set Jack Swagger to be hit with an RKO before Zeb Colter pulled Swagger out of harm's way. When The Viper attempted to grab his opponent, Swagger hit Orton with a thumb to the eye followed by a roll up with his feet on the ropes to score the shock victory.
#2 Carlito def. Randy Orton (WWE Tribute to the Troops 2006)
WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops special is one of the most celebrated and warm-hearted shows of the year. Every year during the holiday period WWE Superstars perform for the military service's men and women to raise spirits and spread joy.
The 2005 Tribute to the Troops special was taped in Baghdad, Iraq and aired on Christmas Night on the USA Network. The show featured WWE Superstars of Monday Night RAW entertaining service men and women stationed in Iraq.
The show's main event featured WWE World Tag Team Champion Randy Orton facing off against Carlito. The two stars had been feuding on Monday Night RAW in the months prior, culminating in a match at Unforgiven in which Randy Orton delivered an incredible RKO to get the victory over Carlito.
However, Carlito would gain his revenge at Tribute to the Troops. After an entertaining back and forth match, Orton attempted to steal a victory with a pinfall attempt with his feet on the ropes. However, the referee for the match caught Orton in the act and broke up the pinfall.
After this Randy Orton continued to argue with the referee until Carlito rolled him up and grabbed a handful of tights to get the required leverage and win the match.
#1 Cesaro def. Randy Orton (WWE SmackDown - February 14, 2014)
WWE Superstar Cesaro scored one of the biggest victories of his WWE career when he defeated then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton on SmackDown in 2014.
Randy Orton was set to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against five WWE Superstars in an Elimination Chamber match at the upcoming namesake pay-per-view.
In the weeks prior to the event, Orton would face off against all five of his future opponents, including Cesaro on SmackDown.
In the closing moments of the match, Randy Orton began to build momentum and looked to put the Swiss Superman away for good.
Orton hit Cesaro with his trademark draping DDT and pointed at the WrestleMania XXX sign, foreshadowing his future. The Viper attempted to set up Cesaro for a superlex, however, the Swiss Cyborg was able to fight off the move.
Cesaro then hit a series of uppercuts on Randy Orton before hitting the Neutralizer for a shock clean victory over the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion in the middle of the ring.
The WWE Universe was shocked as the reigning champion was easily defeated, giving Cesaro a huge amount of momentum heading into the upcoming Elimination Chamber match.