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Randy Orton made his main roster debut back in 2002, and ever since joining the promotion, he has been treated as one of the top prospects. Soon after making his main roster debut, he teamed up with Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista to form Evolution, which is considered one of the best factions to date.
Randy Orton was promoted as a mid card while being a part of this faction, and he mostly focused on the WWE Intercontinental Championship during this time. He also had some excellent rivalries that elevated him as one of the future top stars. One of the wrestlers that WWE brought back to elevate him was the Hardcore Legend to Mick Foley.
Mick Foley remembers his rivalry with Randy Orton from 2004
The rivalry started in early 2004, and it continued for quite a long time. Things started to heat up from the Royal Rumble match of the same year, where Foley eliminated Orton and even sacrificed in the process. They met each other in a 3 handicap match at WrestleMania XX, where Foley and The Rock took on Evolution. Orton pinned Foley in this event to pick up the victory.
Mick Foley and Randy Orton had multiple matches in 2004
The duo met each other once again at the Backlash event in a Hardcore match. Orton was victorious once again, and it had been one of the most brutal matches in his career. Mick Foley recently remembered this rivalry from 2004, and he recalled how he felt while elevating the Legend Killer. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight Podcast, he explained the following;
Orton went on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after this feud
“No one person makes anybody. It takes a lot of people, a lot of factors, and even if the bases were loaded for Randy, it’s still up to him to knock it out of the park. And he did, and one of the wisest decisions I ever made." He said, “He’s technically, probably had better matches. But the idea of being in that spot, people ask me, you will just say you made somebody.” said Mick Foley.
This put over had been a huge boost for Randy Orton, and just a number of months after this event, he defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam to win the World Heavyweight Championship. He became the youngest WWE World Champion by winning this title, and the record is still intact. Today, he stands as one of the biggest names in WWE history, and the push from Foley in his early career played a vital role in his success.
